They Walk Alone
by MiravsStella
Summary: In a world where the settlement on Gran Pulse is crumbling, a desperate Lightning searches for answers- despite all those warning her away.  The past and future haunt her at once.  Disclaimer: I don't own FFXIII.
1. Chapter 1: Looming Shadows

_ New Bodhum. _

_ Ha. Because _that _name isn't ironic at all. _

_ Two years have passed since we emerged from our crystal stasis at the base of Cocoon. The evacuation was completed within about a month, and now the city's already been built using technology, around the base of the enormous sculpture that was once our home. Or rather, their home…_

_ I don't think I ever had one._

_

* * *

_

She was in her room. Again.

Sitting on the floor, where it would probably be the least comfortable spot. Her legs were crossed, her Blazefire Saber laid upon them, in blade mode. She didn't move an inch; in fact, one might have thought she was a dead woman, but sitting up. Her uniform had barely changed; still the same brown turtleneck, still the same white vest over it, the same shorts, and the same boots.

Except now, her hair was short- cropped close to her ears and no longer draped around one shoulder. Serah had begged and pleaded with her not to cut it, but she was adamant in her decision. Her hair only got in the way.

Five minutes. The strange clock in her mind instinctively knew, from her daily routine, that she only had five minutes until she was due for nighttime guard duty. Then she would slowly, patiently stand up and exit her apartment, where she lived alone.

Serah was always urging her to date people, but few had the nerve to ask her out; those that did received a frigid look in reply, and those that persisted got threat of castration. She had to admit that she got some sadistic pleasure in seeing the terrifying looks on their faces before they ran, tail between their legs.

Snow only seemed to grin when she furiously recounted these stories, saying that one day, somebody would sweep her off her feet. He didn't seem to realize that killers don't find happy endings. They die young. Just like…

Taboo.

The word rang through her mind like a screaming alarm. She was not allowed to think about it. Doing so made life an agonizing hell for only a few split seconds, but it was bad enough.

Dwelling on it wouldn't work; she could only move on.

Another, quieter alarm rang; she stood up, opening her crystal aqua eyes at the exact same moment. She strode from the room with poise and elegance, noting that everything was in place now. If a single hair was awry when she returned, to get yet another sleepless night, then she'd know something was wrong.

Her door slid shut, and she stuck the key in and locked it. Compared to Cocoon, technology in New Bodhum was primitive at best. Still, they were able to function quite well despite that, though many were dissatisfied with it. Snorting to herself, she made her way out of the building.

After what they went through, she certainly knew that this was nothing. They'd camped out on Gran Pulse with nothing but blankets when they were l'Cie. Being a 'monster' might grant you magical powers, but it certainly didn't make roasted gorgonopsid taste good.

The street was incredibly old fashioned. For now, the best they could do was use cobblestones, giving the city an old-age look. The buildings, no longer consisting of shining metal, were made of dull red brick. Personally, she didn't mind the shift; the change of scenery made her feel like she was walking through an elderly movie, not that she'd admit it.

Her shoulder pad had changed, making most people give her a wide berth. The stripes were now neon blue, matching her eyes, and there were five.

Colonel was, apparently, her new title. Adomar had insisted on a promotion, bellowing in the face of anyone that tried to object (herself included). The level up had only left Lightning with a bad feeling in her gut, as she hated special treatment of any kind. However, Sazh, Snow, Hope, Serah, and even Dajh had all agreed that she deserved it.

The city was already sprawling; they had almost enough buildings to house everyone, although many people had to share apartments. Despite this, there were still many wandering the streets, which was why extra night patrols were needed these days. Lightning saw several people passing her shoot her dirty looks, and sighed. The dissent was growing, and she didn't know why.

Wasn't everything supposed to get better after all that had happened? Wasn't everyone supposed to get their happy ending? No, probably not, but that had been the impression they'd all gotten when she first reunited with her sister. Now, though, everything was spiraling out of control.

Serah was having difficulties being a teacher; the kids were unruly most of the time, often not even paying attention despite her efforts. Lightning probably would've cracked quickly and quit her job, but her sister kept at it, despite the dark circles it produced under her eyes. Snow was, thankfully, getting a full paying job and comforting her well enough. They still hadn't been wedded, putting it off until they sorted things out.

Sazh was living a good enough life, caring for Dajh as any father should. Dajh seemed to enjoy visiting Serah, going so far as to call him his aunt. Lightning was no fool, though; she could see the sadness in Sazh's eyes, which was caused by an obvious reason: the absence of Dajh's mother. None of them knew what had happened with that, and they knew better than to ask.

Hope and his father were still out on the streets; Hope was turning back into his resentful, rebellious self, but most of the time he just walked around with a sad look in his eyes. His boomerang was being used far more often now, mostly to prevent other street rats from attacking him and his dad. His father seemed to have given up, now a broken man ashamed of being unable to take care of his son.

It was all falling apart. And Lightning herself?

Nothing came to mind. She moved into an apartment, remained in the Guardian Corps, and did her job. She visited her friends and family, ate, slept, and shopped when necessary. And at all other times, she sat on the uncomfortable floor of her room.

Staring at the wall, saber in her lap.

* * *

"Colonel Farron!"

The bellow was nothing new to her; she could easily recognize Adomar's distinct voice. The imposing man marched up behind her, taking his time as he always did. She couldn't help but like the older general, whose patience was beyond anything she could even comprehend. Lightning snapped to a salute as he stopped in front of her.

"At ease now, Colonel," he said, chuckling a bit. "We don't want you pulling a muscle, now do we?"

"No, sir."

"I'm here to give you new orders, Farron."

"Fire away, sir."

He laughed his booming laugh again, throwing his head up high. Lightning allowed one flicker of an utterly humorless smile to appear on her face. She folded her arms, giving him the look that clearly said, 'Get on with it'.

"Well, Colonel," he said at last, after what seemed like a few minutes of scrutinizing her face, "I'm relieving you of duty for a week."

An uncommon thing occurred at that moment: Lightning's mouth dropped open.

"But, sir!"-

"No arguments, Farron!" he barked. Then he winked at her. "Don't worry about it, Colonel, you'll still get paid. You've never taken a vacation before, so I figured I'd have to force it down your throat."

"I don't need a vacation, sir," she replied stiffly, seething inside. After a few moments of staring at her even more, he shook his head.

"I'll have to disagree with that, Farron," he said, more gently. He swiveled about, preparing to head back deeper into headquarters. "Your eyes are bloodshot."

The new headquarters of the Guardian Corps weren't much to look at; just a small building with soldiers coming and going every now and then. The small roof that hung over the entrance drooped rather sadly over it. Lightning was currently storming away from said location, seething inside.

She wasn't so much mad about taking a break- or at least, she wouldn't have been, if she had had a reason to take a break. However, what she hated the most about this forced leave was that she would have zero purpose during this time.

She would spend her entire free time doing exactly three things.

She would visit friends and/or family. She would eat. She would sit in her room, staring at the wall.

Lightning hated not having anything to give her drive; it made her feel like some kind of suicidal invalid, with virtually no life who just wanted it all to end. In a way, that was exactly what she was, though.

Only she didn't want life to end.

Lightning knew that she had to be strong, if only for her younger sister. Serah would be devastated- maybe broken entirely, if she died. Lightning was reluctant to admit that that was probably the only reason she was holding on so tightly.

The streets seemed to fly past her in her rage, and Lightning resisted the urge to scream in frustration. Why was her life like this? Was she really only useful as a l'Cie?

She thought she could see Barthandelus in her mind's eye, laughing at her and informing her that that was exactly the case. Lightning scowled fiercely and banished the image to the dark corners in her mind, where several other tabooed subjects resided. Out of pure habit, she placed her hand on the handle of her Blazefire Saber, feeling its reassuring leather grip in her hand. Well, she'd just have to wear away the week, then.

Or maybe she could go travelling for a bit. There wasn't a problem with that; she wouldn't mind a visit to the ruins of Oerba, since it was where…

Blank. Yet another taboo.

She sighed, relenting. Okay, so the subject of Fang and Vanille didn't have to be forbidden. They did sacrifice themselves to save Cocoon and its residents after all. That didn't stop any of the rest of them from missing them. A lot.

Although Lightning would never admit it, Fang's sarcasm and wit had kept them all in high spirits, no matter the tough situations they were in. She'd found a very close friend in the woman, and she could picture the two of them chatting in a bar (despite the fact that it was weird and out of character for her). Fang, despite being a pain in the ass at times, could really listen to her ranting and put up with it easily.

Vanille, on the other hand, was like the group's own personal cheerleader. Her words of encouragement didn't really serve much of a purpose, but they'd all grown so used to them it was unusual to not hear her cries of, 'Keep it together!' Vanille's unique weapon also helped matters, usually tangling up the opponents so much that they were helpless when one of the rest of them finished them off. Lightning thought that of all of them, Hope probably missed her the most.

She couldn't even begin to count the times she'd had to punch Snow in the stomach to prevent him from teasing Hope about it. It would only hurt the boy.

Lightning trudged on through the streets, feeling like she was merely a wandering wraith. Her mind wandered to a picture of a Shambling Cie'th with pink hair, but to let out a chuckle at the thought of it would feel like forcing herself to laugh. That was another thing she thought she hated: she didn't even have to keep amusement to herself anymore, because she didn't have any. She could never be sure whether or not that was good or bad.

Suddenly, she remembered. Damn! Tomorrow was the yearly holiday, of the day in which Cocoon had tumbled from the sky, only to be stopped midfall by the enormous crystal pillar. At first, it had been a day of reflection and sorrow, but after most of the story came out (courtesy of Amodar himself, no less), many regarded it as a day of celebration. Lightning was thankful that most people didn't know who the l'Cie that had saved them were, as she preferred to be left alone.

Well then; she'd just have a quiet day. Maybe she'd treat herself to lunch, but there was no way she'd be going to the town square to hear the new Primarch's inspiring speech to, 'hope for the future'. She and Hope had had a good laugh about that last year, thinking about the irony.

It hadn't been real laughter, though.

_Oh, quit sounding like a whiny little bitch drowning in pity,_ she snapped at herself. It wasn't as if things were going to fix themselves if she did that.

Click.

That sound had been drilled into her mind a million times, and it made her act on pure instinct at that very moment. She rolled forward, just barely in time to dodge the bullet. In a flash, her Saber's Edge was out and in front of her, deflecting even more shots. The darkness easily hid the attacker, but Lightning couldn't stop the feral smile from appearing on her lips.

At last. Something to do.

Without a second thought, she raced toward the shadows, and the direction of her opponent. The shots rang out faster this time, intent on slowing her down, but she didn't heed that fact. Each one bounced effortlessly off her saber, spinning away on the ground. The increasing speed of the shots told her that her attacker was becoming slightly nervous, and she almost laughed.

She was enjoying this sudden game of cat-and-mouse. And she just couldn't _stop._

Her blade slashed the shadows in front of her, but she caught no resistance apart from air. Someone darted past her left, and she pivoted and stabbed in that direction.

Whoever it was cried out, but kept moving. Lightning dashed after them, ignoring the fact that there were now several citizens gathered around, staring in shock at the scene before them. She rolled her eyes in exasperation, when the sudden mental picture of a stray bullet hitting one of them entered behind her eyes.

Suddenly, this fight didn't seem quite so funny anymore. As she gathered her wits about her, she looked around, and swore. The attacker was nowhere to be seen. As she stood there, muttering and probably looking psychotic to most of the viewers, she became aware of a pain in her right side.

She looked down to see blood spouting from the spot, before unconsciousness took over, and she sank unwillingly into its depths.

* * *

Serah sat at the edge of her sister's bed, clasping Lightning's hand in hers. She stared at the bandages pressed up against her side, willing the blood that was beneath to stop flowing out. Her sis just had to wake up, no matter what.

"How's she doing?" came her fiancé's voice, striding up next to her. Serah smiled fondly up at him; Snow hadn't changed a bit, still being her support in life. In Lightning's living room, Hope and Sazh both sat on the couch, staring down at their laps in worry.

Their connection from all being l'Cie remained; when one was hurt, the rest couldn't stand it. They had to make sure she turned out alright. Serah knew that they were all thinking the same thing:

That Fang and Vanille should be here.

"A street rat told me that someone attacked her, and shot her," said Hope, suddenly speaking up for the first time. Serah couldn't help but cringe at the term, 'street rat'. It was used for all those forced to wander New Bodhum's streets because there weren't yet enough buildings. Hope wasn't trying to be a hypocrite; he knew very well that he was the same as them.

Serah sighed and looked back at Lightning, who was now mumbling to herself slightly. She frowned a little; her sister always slept soundly, and never seemed to have nightmares. Of course, that might have been because she was so good at hiding her feelings. Now, however, Lightning was twitching just like any other person who was dreaming would.

"No, I'm not sorry," she muttered. Serah blinked; usually, people said the opposite.

"Why ask me? No, it wasn't my fault! You goddamn hypocrite!"

By now, everyone was staring at the unconscious woman; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Snow tense, probably thinking he would have to restrain Lightning.

"_You_ asked me to, you bastard!" she shouted suddenly, sitting up so fast that Serah gave a little squeak, and jumped back a little. Her sister was breathing heavily, but her eyes were open and glaring at something only she could see.

"You okay, sis?" she asked hesitantly.

Lightning started, looking over at Serah as though seeing her for the first time. "Serah, what"-

Then her face quickly morphed, from fear and confusion, to its utterly blank and emotionless state. Serah felt a twinge of anger at the sight of it.

"I'm okay," deadpanned Lightning. Her eyes, even her body language, said nothing. If she was in pain from sitting up, Serah couldn't tell.

And before she could stop it, the word came out of her mouth. "Bullshit."

If there was anything she could have said that would get a response from everyone in the vicinity- her sister included- it was that. Hope stood up so quickly that he had to sit back down from lightheadedness, Sazh choked, Snow actually _fainted_, and Lightning's eyes widened with shock.

It wasn't much of a response, but it was enough for Serah to keep going.

"You're _never_ alright!" she yelled, hating herself for the words, but knowing they had to be said. "You always, always shut people out, and you just work, and you never ever smile or laugh or anything! Even if something's funny, I bet that you don't even feel the need to giggle anymore, do you! How long have you had nightmares? Have you even slept lately? _Why_ are you doing this?"

By the time she'd finished her shouted speech, Hope and Sazh had edged out of the other room, Snow was still unconscious (and drooling), and Lightning appeared to be completely immobile, staring at her sister with unveiled surprise on her face.

But she was Lightning Farron, and she recovered quickly.

"I'm only one soldier, Serah," she replied eventually, her voice soft and still devoid of… anything. "I only fight, I only kill. You have Snow, Hope has his father, Sazh has his son. Fang and Vanille are resting up, the world's getting past whatever happened in Cocoon, and everything's finally being set straight again. No one needs me. So what's the point in trying?"

It was almost as though the voice didn't really belong to Lightning; yes, Serah saw her mouth move, but surely that hopeless, lost sound didn't come from her sister? Someone else had to be talking over her.

But quickly, reality kicked in again, and two things registered in the young woman's mind.

One: Lightning was a hell of a lot closer to the brink than any of them thought.

Two: Her sister really needed a boyfriend.

The latter was something she couldn't help but think, but it was clear that Lightning needed some kind of support. Her tough exterior was holding up tremendously well, but it was clear that her insides were shattering. Her sister was broken, she realized- and had been a long time ago, but by what?

"Claire…" Serah figured that it wouldn't hurt to use her real name, since everyone around them knew it.

"What… happened?"

To her surprise, Lightning's face twisted in fear and confusion. She hunched over, actually whimpering slightly, mumbling something. Serah leaned forward, feeling guilty that she'd gotten this sort of response.

"I can't," her sister whispered. "I just can't…"

Serah did the only thing she could think of right then: she hugged her sister tightly, regardless of her injuries.

"It's okay," she murmured, patting her on the back. "You can talk when you're ready."

* * *

Snow stood, like most other New Bodhum citizens, in the large square. Rygdea, who'd been elected primarch because of his uplifting ideals, was centered on the large podium in the middle, with residents gathered all around. Today was the grand celebration of The Fall, as many called it. Already, street vendors were everywhere, selling exotic Pulse items and delicious food. The thought of seeing so many children laughing, instead of being miserable on the streets, made him smile. There was indeed still hope for the future.

Behind him, Serah was succeeding in reigning in her class, who seemed to finally be coming around and cutting her some slack. Her glanced at her, grinning when she smiled back and waved. Beside her, one of the children tugged on her arm, saying something.

Snow looked away and frowned slightly. Whatever had transpired between Lightning and Serah the previous night- apart from Serah's foul mouth suddenly making an appearance- was unknown to the rest of them. His fiancée had firmly stated that they weren't to bother Lightning, who had apparently promised to get some rest and then enjoy the festivities the next day.

He had spotted his sister-in-law to-be, dressed in some of the little casual clothing she had- jeans with slits near the bottom, a black tank top, and some black flats with her lightning pendant still around her neck. He thought that he'd seen her survival knife at her belt, and wouldn't have been surprised if it really was there.

It was, he had to admit, a refreshing look for her; it certainly had many heads turning in the street. This did not go unnoticed by Lightning, who never failed to shoot dirty looks at anyone who stared too long at her endowments. Naturally, he couldn't help but think that Fang would've thought this hilarious.

"Yo!" came a shout. He turned to see the members of Nora (no longer an acronym, but named after Hope's mother at his insistence) walking over. Lebreau grinned from where Yuj had his arm slung around her, Maqui waved furiously, and Gadot rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Hero!" he called.

Snow trotted over, seeing no problem with joining his friends; Serah could take care of herself. Of course, it helped that he had just seen Lightning walk idly into the square, and her eyes had immediately latched onto her sister. He trusted her to keep an eye on his future wife.

"What's up?" he asked, placing his hands behind his head in his typical manner. "Enjoying the celebrations?"

"Duh," said Lebreau, rolling her eyes. "Though I'm surprised that Adomar actually gave us a break. Seemed to me like that man was never going to cave!"

Snow smirked. Nora had recently agreed to help the Guardian Corps out with guarding New Bodhum, since… well, they needed all the help they could get. Adomar had quickly cracked down on their little rebellious organization, quickly whipping it up into a more organized group. Looking at his comrades now- dressed in their usual attire- he couldn't really say that it had worked.

The look on Maqui's face was unmistakable- a look of guilt.

"All right, what're you all up to?" he asked, warily.

Now they all looked peevish, with Yuj scratching the back of his head, and Lebreau letting out a rather high pitched laugh.

"Well, we kinda set off a stink bomb…"

"… In Cranky Lenora's shop…"

Snow groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead, before sighing in exasperation. "Come on, you guys, you know I'm going to get the blame for that."

Gadot sniggered. "Yep. We know."

Of course they did.

"Yeah, we can't have her kill _us_!" cried Lebreau. "We're too young to die!"

"You're damn right you are, mother fuckers!" came a distinct female voice from somewhere in the crowd. Gadot swore colorfully, before the four of them tore away, quickly followed by a very pissed off brunette, whose stormy gray eyes were flashing with fury. Snow quickly hid behind a couple of innocent passerby; thankfully, she seemed too intent upon her prey to notice him.

Suddenly, Lightning was beside him, watching the scene with something akin to amusement.

"Is that the famous Lenora I keep hearing about?" she asked. Snow was relieved to hear that she sounded more at ease than before; maybe her break was finally doing her some good.

"That's her," replied Snow, shrugging. "She's almost as scary as you, sis."

The glare she sent him almost made him wet himself, and yet simultaneously proved his point.

"Well, she does beat you in colorful language," he admitted.

"Does she?" asked Lightning, no longer sounding all that interested in the topic. He glanced at her again, this time seeing a blank expression settle over her face. He noted how unhealthily pale she looked, and that the dark circles were clear under her eyes. She really didn't seem well, that was for sure.

He opened his mouth, about to ask if something was up, but she cut him off.

"Looks like Rygdea is about to give his speech." She snorted a bit. "I do respect him, but he's just not the right one for this job."

Snow couldn't help but agree on that one; the man had spunk, but he just didn't have the patience or sense of responsibility that came with a real leader. Unfortunately, there was no one else to do the job.

"Who do you think should lead?" he asked her.

She didn't answer.

"You don't think that Dysley was a good leader, do you?"

"Of course not," she snapped, angrily spinning on her heel. "Any candidates I would consider are probably dead."

"You thinking of Raines?" he asked her. Big mistake.

She whirled back to face him, her face twisting into an almost frighteningly dark countenance, her eyes seeming to turn red with rage. He found himself take a step back, in order to try to lessen her wrath; it didn't work.

"Don't. Ever," she hissed, blue eyes seeming to turn to white hot ice. "Mention. Him. _Again._"

Snow could do nothing except stare as her face crumpled back into its exhausted, flat state. For a split second, at the mention of one man, she'd come alive, possibly the most pissed off he'd ever seen her. In that moment, he'd seen a million emotions rush through her eyes- panic, fury, and… he was almost sure he'd seen guilt.

But his sister was quickly moving away through the crowd, slipping past people and ignoring several catcalls from a few jerks nearby. She was gone before he had the chance to call her name again, vanishing in the mass of former Cocoon citizens. He coughed a bit, realizing that Serah suddenly stood next to him, her class gathered behind her, staring curiously after her sister.

"What was that all about?"

Snow opened his mouth to answer, but was once again cut off, this time by the sudden appearance of Primarch Rygdea. He was dressed in simple military wear, having stated that he wasn't about to dress up like, 'Mr. Bartie'. He recalled how reluctant Rygdea had been to take the job on in the first place, as it gave him bad memories of how he'd killed Raines.

Raines… he'd been the primarch of Cocoon for a short period of time, and then he died again. Lightning had freaked at the mention of him, and he realized that it was just possible that she might've been the one who delivered the finishing blow the first time. He couldn't be sure, as he'd been unconscious, but he resolved to ask Hope the next time he saw him, remembering that Hope was the only one who could say for sure, apart from Lightning herself.

"People of Cocoon!" called Rygdea, smiling in that strained way that was different from his easy grin that he used to have. "The first thing a good ruler must do is admit his faults. It hasn't been an easy year for us; we've been troubled by overcrowding, food shortages, and power outages."

He paused for a moment; Snow noticed that most of those around them were muttering or scowling. He hid a grin; Rygdea was the master of come-from-behind speeches.

"But that, under any circumstances, doesn't mean that we can't be victorious in getting through all this!" he said, now sounding more optimistic. "So long as we can live, and breath, we can work together to improve our lives. All we need is"-

He didn't get that far.

A sharp, shrieking cry rang out from above, causing several to clutch their ears in discomfort, Snow among them. Simultaneously, everyone's heads turned upward, to a shadow that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, circling above the square. Then, a single scream rang out, as the thing dove down toward them, revealing an enormous Wyvern.

Snow dove away quickly as the thing crash-landed in the square, roaring as hordes of terrified citizens fled from it, not wanting to become meals. Snow yelled for Serah, feeling fear that she'd get hurt, but she was pushed away by the panicking masses.

"Snow!" she cried, before her voice was muffled.

A different roar rang out, and he turned to see a Behemoth rampaging through the city, swiping aside innocents like they were mere insects in comparison. Using his agility, he climbed the roof of the nearest building, almost having to shove people out of his way in his hurry. Once he arrived, he found a sight that only filled him with despair.

Throughout New Bodhum, all sorts of 'Gran Pulse Nasties' were swarming about, attacking random people and violently tearing at buildings. He noticed that none of them were going near the base of the crystal pillar that was on the edge of the city, but all were causing uproar and panic. Screams and gunshots from responding soldiers were all he could hear.

It was pure chaos, and he had no idea where Serah was. All he could do was try to help fight them off, and hope that they'd be alright.

* * *

Lightning hissed in pain, glaring fiercely at the Megistotherian in front of her. She hadn't come face-to-face with one of the silver-furred beasts since before becoming human again, and her fighting skills weren't nearly as on par- not to mention that she only had her survival knife. The blade was currently flipped open, and covered in yellowish blood. Only a few moments ago, the thing had been able to knock her back with a huge amount of force with one of its enormous paws, hence her current pain.

She was pretty sure that one of the claws had dug into her arm, leaving scratches that only made it harder. There was also the fact that her side was screaming at her to rest, and she thought she could feel her bullet wound bleeding again through her bandages, as she'd forgotten to take her potion that morning.

The Megistotherian collapsed, choking slightly at the throat wound she'd given it, while frightened people on the side of the street began to cheer. She ignored the praise, choosing instead to hurry on to another street, and see if she needed to fight off another monster. She felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of a Wyvern tearing into a human being, who had at the very least fainted from fear or pain.

She really wished that she'd brought her gunblade; it would've been a huge help in this situation, at the very least. It just wouldn't be enough to keep up with the multitudes of monsters that had invaded, using her survival knife. Still, she was grateful enough to have brought it, at least. If she hadn't, she'd be dog food by now.

The Wyvern proved almost impossible just to fight off, let alone kill; it managed to smash her into the walls of nearby buildings several times, only further inflaming her gunshot wound. She only barely managed to stab it in the head when Guardian Corps soldiers backed her up, shooting and distracting it.

The entire afternoon was spent racing everywhere, fighting off the monsters where the damage was at its worst. She thought she caught sight of Sazh with his Vegas, shooting furiously at one of the Gorgonopsids while Dajh hid behind him. She felt a twist in her stomach, hoping that Dajh would be alright.

* * *

Hope didn't know where to start. All he could see was people, monsters, and more people, sprinting around and shrieking at the top of their lungs.

He clenched his teeth as his father's grip on his shoulder tightened, and he held his boomerang ready. So what if he could no longer be a Ravager? He could still help!

"Hope!" yelled his father. "I know you want to help, but we need to get out of here!"

Hope growled low in frustration, but Bartholomew Estheim was right; he wouldn't be able to do much with only a boomerang for a weapon. Not for the first time, he wished he were a l'Cie again- when he was actually capable of doing something.

Someone bundled into them, screaming at the top of their lungs. Hope unceremoniously shoved them out of the way.

His eyes widened as he beheld an enormous behemoth stampeding toward them, before it reared up on two legs in its Execution Mode.

"Watch out!" yelled his dad, but Hope wasn't about to back down, telling himself that he could easily handle a behemoth. His grip on his boomerang tightened, as the beast loomed up before him. He blinked; it was way huger than he'd originally thought. Realizing that this was a stupid idea, he willed himself to move out of the way, but his muscles froze. Every part of him tensed, waiting for the thing to knock him into oblivion.

His father shoved him aside, just in time to be snatched up by the monster. The behemoth bounded away, roaring in defiance at the several Guardian Corps soldiers that shot at it.

"DAD!" shouted Hope, trying to push his way through the crowd after his father. "DAD!"

It was no use; Bartholomew Estheim was dragged away through the streets before Hope could even get to the next intersection. By now, people had taken refuge inside numerous buildings, leaving more room for Hope to run. He didn't see how he could catch up to his father, though, unless the behemoth was miraculously slain. Some unknown force within him kept him running, though. He couldn't stop; if he did, then his dad would…

"Damnit!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, noticing that several people gave him strange looks. He sank to his knees, feeling a lump rise painfully in his throat as despair washed over him. It was all his fault; if he hadn't been so proud as to think he could handle this, then his dad would still be with him. They'd be sheltered from the attack, watching while the military handled it, maybe joke about it later together.

Something crashed into him from behind, and he and the unknown person rolled over and over, before they finally came to a halt.

"I'm so sorry!" the person cried, now atop him. Before he could move, a pair of emerald eyes fixed on his, and he froze from shock.

"Hope?"

_"Vanille?"_

_

* * *

_

Sazh noticed Miss Soldier Girl sprint by, looking very unusual in civilian clothing, but he couldn't pay much mind to it. He was too busy shooting the snot out of yet another monster, while he could hear Dajh sobbing quietly behind him. Every time he attempted to get to shelter, another monster blocked his path. He now had his back to a wall, and was doing his best to fend off monsters.

But his guns would soon run dry on bullets, and the beasts just seemed to keep on coming. Goblins were in the square now, and he couldn't get the haunting picture of them tearing Dajh in half out of his head. Sazh wheezed a bit, already exhausted.

Just how long could he afford to keep this up?

Several Imps began winging their way towards him, shrieking at the sight. He winced as he noticed them charging up their Fires, knowing that he'd be going to sleep with some horrible burns later- if he didn't just die from not being able to fight back, that is.

"Need a little help?" called Snow, to his surprise. "I still got some grenades left."

"Save them for later, Trench Coat," joked Sazh, trying hard to hide just how relieved he was.

* * *

Lightning groaned a bit, noticing that, despite the many corpses (human and Pulse creature alike) that littered the ground, there still seemed to be monsters everywhere the eye could see. Thankfully, most of the civilians had gotten to shelter, leaving the rest of them to do their job. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, rubbing her arms and momentarily forgetting that they had feral blood all over them.

Blood didn't make her squeamish, but that didn't mean that she liked it. Lightning scowled, wishing that she could just wash it off. More than anything, she wanted to take a hot shower.

_Quit complaining,_ she thought angrily. "You didn't shower for weeks while you were on Pulse." The fact that she was talking to herself didn't escape her, but it also didn't surprise her. That was probably what spending weeks cooped up in your room did to you.

A piercing scream came from nearby, causing Lightning to quicken her pace, scowling. What idiot had decided not to get indoors?

To her great surprise, Hope was desperately battering away at a Goblin with his boomerang. Cowering next to him, without the aid of her Binding Rod, was Vanille of all people.

The girl's right pigtail had come undone, leaving her hair oddly mismatched. It was still the same coppery color, and she was still adorned in her tribal wear. She was still trying her best to cheer Hope on.

In short, it was still Vanille.

_Priorities first,_ she reminded herself. Leaping forward, she slashed the beast across the face, causing it to give an agonized screech. The thing fled, wailing, down the street, only to be shot down by the soldiers.

"Hi Light!" said Vanille cheerfully. "How've you been?"

Lightning could do nothing but just gape at her. Vanille and Fang, trapped in crystal for two years now, were back? Speaking of which, where was Fang? She was never that far behind Vanille.

The orangette seemed to interpret her look correctly. "I don't know where Fang is," she stated, wilting a bit. "She wasn't there when I woke up."

Lightning just watched, deep in thought while Hope placed a comforting hand on Vanille's shoulder. So, Fang had woken up slightly before Vanille? That wasn't unusual, but why wouldn't Fang wait for her longtime friend and companion?

"You know, it's the funniest thing," commented Vanille suddenly. "Before I woke up, I had this weird dream. There was a really creepy voice, and they were all like, 'Claire is dead.' And I was kinda like, 'No, no, she can't be dead!' And what do you know, I was right!" She laughed nervously, probably noticing the strange look Lightning was giving her.

"Huh," murmured Lightning. "Funny…"

"I know, right!"

Hope looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Uh, Vanille…?"

"Oh!" She looked stricken again, turning back to the boy. "I'm sorry, Hope, seeing Light again distracted me! We've still gotta find your dad."

Lightning jerked her head up, wondering if she heard right. "What?"

"A behemoth took Dad," mumbled Hope, staring down at his shoes furiously. "It was my fault, too…"

"It wasn't your fault, son," called a deeper voice from one of the streets. Bartholomew Estheim emerged, looking shaken but not seriously injured. Hope tackled his father in a bone-crushing hug, while Vanille grinned and 'awwed'.

Lightning merely looked away, determined not to ruin this reunion with her bluntness. She chose instead to study the damage around her, before noticing something strange.

No more monsters were appearing, and the wyverns flying overhead were speeding off the way that they'd come.

"The beast just dropped me and ran off," said Hope's father, looking confused. "I'm not sure why…"

Lightning wasn't even listening, as she noticed Sazh, Dajh, Serah, and Snow hurrying towards them. Snow, Serah, and Sazh appeared thrilled by Vanille's appearance.

"So, how are all of you?" asked Vanille, clasping her hands behind her back.

Instantly, the atmosphere changed to one of discomfort. All of them looked slightly awkward, as though unsure what to say. Vanille seemed to get the message.

"Guess it's not all sugar and rainbows, huh?" she murmured, looking at Sazh.

"Got that right."

* * *

The moment she walked in the room, she knew that something was different.

Lightning could sense it- something was out of place. The small, prickling sensation on her neck informed her of this, and she frowned to herself, eyes searching the room for anything not where it should've been.

Almost magnetically, she was attracted to a slip of paper on the kitchen counter. Someone had been there recently, but the note didn't say anything all that meaningful. Just an address:

_1133 Jettison Lane, New Bodhum._

Lightning stared at it for a few moments. Though she had at first fully intended to just get rid of it, her curiosity got the better of her. Why leave her this address, anyway? Whoever they were, the deliverer must've been confident that she would choose to investigate. The note crumpled in her tightened fist; she was going that night.

It didn't take long to get there, but she couldn't help but stop to take in the damage of New Bodhum. Bodies still littered the streets, and dried blood could be found on various cobblestones. The night sky was obscured by the looming figure of Cocoon, and she thought she heard a far off roar, probably from one of the monsters that had attacked.

Which led her to another question- what in hell was going on? Nothing was right, everything was wrong; the settlement was falling apart, many people reacted negatively to the government's assurances, and now monsters were spontaneously raiding the city. Lightning realized that this, at last, gave her a purpose again.

She was going to find out what was wrong- why so many horrible things were occurring- because, even if she didn't, there were others who deserved happiness. Serah, Hope, and Dajh all deserved to have full lives; they didn't need their innocence tarnished.

A sudden bout of dizziness hit her, and Lightning remembered that she hadn't slept all week. She placed a hand to her forehead, recalling Serah's words to her easily enough.

_"How long have you had nightmares? Have you even slept lately?"_

The answer to the first question was simple: since she'd first moved into her apartment. It might've even been before that, when the faces of those she murdered in the soldier's line of duty flashed before her whenever she attempted to rest. There was one face, in particular, that wouldn't leave her alone.

Cid Raines. Damn him, damn him, damn him. No one would ever know that he was the main reason why she could never slept- because he didn't just look at her sadly, like all the rest- he _taunted _her. He mocked her for not being strong enough to walk away with her heart intact, he teased her for not being able to just get over it. Rygdea killed him too, he said, but he didn't feel the constant, cutting pain of guilt in his chest.

Lightning wanted to scream in frustration. She wished that she'd been asked to accompany him to the Sanctum, and die there with him- anything but killing him herself. But a promise was a promise; after what happened with Serah, she would never break one.

Why couldn't he just leave her alone? She was probably dying of sleep deprivation because of it.

_ There's also the little fact that you refuse to confide in anyone,_ whispered a little voice in her head, which she ignored. So what if she did? She couldn't without revealing that she'd killed Raines on purpose.

Lightning blinked. Her thoughts had brought her outside the place she was looking for, a small place with no windows. Steeling herself, she knocked on the door.

The first sign of life was a loud crash, followed by a stream of profanities from what sounded like a young woman. Lightning jumped back barely in time to avoid the door slamming open, revealing an extremely tall young woman.

It was Cranky Lenora, of all people. The gray eyed woman took her in- uniform and all- and the first thing she tried to do was close the door.

Anticipating this, she stuck her foot in to prevent it. Lenora snorted a bit.

"You look like hell," muttered the woman at last. "Guess you'd better come in, then. The military can have whatever the fuck they want, I don't care."

Nodding once, Lightning stepped inside the cramped room. The reason being: it was stuffed full of various tools, spare parts, and half-completed devices. Lenora proceeded back to another room, tripping over a screwdriver in the process.

"I'm a mechanic," was Lenora's short explanation. She unceremoniously shoved aside a few scraps, before seating herself on a chair. "So what the hell does the military want?"

"Nothing," replied Lightning curtly. Lenora reminded her inexplicably of Fang- only sulkier, angrier, and much more of a foul-mouth. Heck, she even had black-brown hair as well. She was glad that she'd sat down; Lenora was at least a head taller than her.

"Then what the hell do _you_ want? I'm closed, and I'm still trying to build something."

"I got a note from someone anonymous, telling me to come to this address."

Lenora rolled her eyes. Lightning took in her attire, noting that she wore baggy Capri pants, a bulky hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, and thick work boots. In a way similar to Snow, a bandana was tied around her head, leaving her long, straight hair to fall down her shoulders.

"Anonymous, notes, why the hell should I give a shit?" she asked. She kicked at a screw. "If they want business, the bastards should just come themselves."

Lightning decided to change the subject. It was odd; normally, she was the one to brush people off in a conversation.

"You weren't hurt today?"

"Fuck no I wasn't," spat Lenora. "Who do you think I am?"

Lightning's only reply was to raise an eyebrow.

Lenora held out her hand to her, revealing a ring with a small red button on her left hand's ring finger. "See this?" She pushed the button.

Lightning's jaw dropped when gleaming metal suddenly extended out from her shoulder, encasing Lenora's arm until it was completely hidden by the shell, transforming Lenora's hand into a massive claw. It appeared to move with her regular arm, as well.

"My pride and joy," proclaimed Lenora loudly. "I call it TALON. Stands for, 'Trips Assholes Like One Nelly.'" Seeing Lightning's look of confusion, she added, "Nelly is the name of a douchebag I used to know."

Lightning could only stare as the encasing retracted back to Lenora's shoulder. The woman stood, wandering over to the other side of the room and grabbing hold of a wrench.

"Where did you live before?" she asked.

"HA!" yelled Lenora so loudly, Lightning's hand went to her Blazefire Saber. "Lived in Eden, the lower regions. Eheh, region…"

Lightning almost face-palmed. Was this really a grown woman?

"Anywho, I had a business that kept me running pretty good. Ever heard of Lenora's Garage? Course, once those little fuckers in PSICOM found out who I was, they tried to fucking arrest me. Needless to say, they're all dead now."

"I'm going back," said Lightning suddenly.

Lenora stared at her blankly. "Go wherenow?"

"Back to Cocoon."

"You're fucking crazy."

"You're one to talk."

Lenora blinked a few times, before slapping her knee and laughing raucously. "I like you, ya know? You got spunk! But seriously, go see a psychologist. Nostalgic much?"

"It has nothing to do with nostalgia," muttered Lightning. "I just… feel like answers are there. I want to know why the world's so messed up."

"World's always fucked up," said Lenora, shrugging. "Don't see any point in trying to change it. On a lighter note, can I come with? I gotta get out of this shitty place."

"No." Lightning did not want someone who was clearly unbalanced with her on her journey. While Lenora could clearly hold her own in a fight, she had no idea what she'd run into back in the floating sphere. It was too big of a risk.

"I'll follow you, ya know, so it's really not much use."

"Fine," snapped Lightning. "Pack lightly. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"You might as well just spend the night here," said Lenora, shrugging. "You can have the bed; I never use it that piece of shit."

"That's fine," replied Lightning shortly, surprised at how quickly she'd made up her mind. Were either of them thinking this through, really? So she had done stupid stuff before, but this probably topped it. Serah was going to kill her.

On the other hand, Lightning finally had a purpose in a life that had one seemed meaningless to her. Now she could act, maybe help the people she loved.

Even if she couldn't help herself.

* * *

Author's note: Wow, really angsty beginning. Lightning's almost suicidal, but that's the intention. I really wanted to give the impression of inner torture; hope I succeeded. Oh, and if you don't like swears, then you won't like Lenora (she does it a lot). Lenora's purpose is not merely comical, she is important! A few questions:

1. What do you think happened to Fang?

2. Any theories on who Lenora is?

3. What do you think was with Vanille's dream?

4. Conspiracy theories, anyone? In other words, what do you think is going on?

5. Fal'Cie will appear… any guess on which ones?

6. For any FMA fans, does anyone else think that Cid/Light is a lot like Royai?

Anyway, thanks for reading, everybody! It took me ages to finish this first chapter… gotta get working on the second… please review, and I'm open to plot twist suggestions!


	2. Chapter 2: Past Convergence

_ "What is someone like _her _doing here?"_

_ "I guess Amodar's losing his touch…"_

_ "She's a little young to be a soldier, isn't she?"_

_ "Forget that, she's only a woman!"_

_ "Yeah, not a bad looking one either…"_

_ Lightning felt a growl rise up in her throat, and she had to really resist the temptation to place her hands around the offender's neck and strangle him then and there. The fact that Amodar, her commanding officer, and Serah were counting on her to be an example for other soldiers was what stayed her hand- as well as common sense. _

_ Currently, she was stalking towards the shuttle that would be departing within an hour with a team of Guardian Corps soldiers; their mission, according to Amodar, was to put a stop to a Garuda Interceptor that had gotten loose in the Gapra Whitewood, and was currently causing mayhem in the Vile Peaks. Lightning was told that she was chosen not for her fighting skills, but because her discipline was high. A member of each regiment in the Corps had been picked for the mission, which was going to be dangerous, according to many._

_ She was stopped abruptly by a man with ragged brown hair, who grinned at her a bit. _

_ "Bit tough for you around here, ain't it little lady?" He held out his hand, seemingly oblivious to the way she was fuming when he called her, 'little'. She didn't shake it, choosing instead to stare at him frostily._

_ "Name's Rygdea, Second-In-Command here," he stated. Lightning's eyes widened at her mistake, and she quickly snapped to a salute, feeling heat flood her visage at the snickers that erupted from the other soldiers. _

_ Rygdea, however, didn't seem to mind a bit. "Oh, don't pull all the formal crap," he said, rolling his eyes. _

_ "My apologies, sir," she said quietly. _

_ He sighed, tugging at his hair. "No convincing you, is there?" he muttered. The man jerked his head towards the shuttle. "Might as well report in; Colonel Raines wants to know who all's here."_

_ "Yes, sir," was her stiff reply, as he finally moved aside. She ignored the stares (and sometimes, glares) from her supposed comrades. With a bit of aid from Lady Luck, the mission would be over quickly, and she could return to guard duty back in Bodhum. At least there, her fellow soldiers treated her with a little more respect. _

_ The shuttle was surprisingly spacious; each side was lined with altogether comfortable seats, which probably had food dispensers in them. Lightning pondered this, believing the military was sponsored quite well by the Sanctum for them to have this kind of luxury. _

_ "Sergeant Farron?" _

_ She turned her head to see a young man- probably not too much older than herself- contemplating her. He was clearly studying her intensely, something that made her face heat up yet again, though she quickly crushed the feeling of embarrassment rising inside her. Lightning saluted again. "Reporting for duty, sir."_

_ "At ease," he muttered, staring down at his datapad. "Age 20, Skills: use of a gunblade, handgun, knife, hand-to-hand combat, and bazooka launching. Siblings: Serah Farron, Parents: deceased."_

_ Lightning shifted uncomfortably while he read that; for some reason, she did not want this man's pity on her. Fortunately, he seemed to ignore that momentarily, choosing instead to read on. _

_ "Last name: Farron, First name: unknown, Alias: Lightning." His steely gray eyes moved back to her, puzzlement in them. "No first name?"_

_ "My reasons are my own, sir," she said stiffly. If Colonel Raines couldn't simply choose to ignore that fact and call her by her alias, then he might as well just ship her back to Bodhum then and there. _

_ "I see…" he murmured. He continued to study her, and she continued to study him. He was, she noticed, very tall, probably about six inches taller than her. This irked her slightly, as she disliked it when people looked down on her. His hair was jet black, and the neon blue striped shoulder plate confirmed his place as a colonel. She guessed that he was probably in excellent shape, a thought that did not fail to cause her to blush again. _

_ "Very well," he said at last. "Prepare your things, Sergeant Farron. We're leaving as soon as a few more arrive."_

_ "Understood, sir," was her reply. Lightning made to exit the ship, but was stopped by his voice yet again. _

_ "How far will you go for your sister?" he asked her. Lightning blinked in confusion, wondering why he would ask it so abruptly. She refused to look at him, but her heart was pounding. Was this some kind of test? What did he care about Serah?_

_ Something about Cid Raines, however, made her want to- no, need to trust him. _

_ "As far as I have to." _

_ The other recruits turned up soon, though one looked disheveled; his explanation was that he was not the best driver, and almost crashed into the ground several times. Lightning felt a twinge of annoyance at the fact that they'd send someone so incompetent on such an important mission. _

_ She sat in one of the seats, shooting glares at anyone who made to sit beside her. Rygdea was flying (which she had a bad feeling about), and was currently joking with some poor soul sitting near the cockpit. Colonel Raines stood near the front, as though he were incapable of sitting down at all. Lightning did everything she could to avoid looking at him, but every so often their eyes met, and it took all of her willpower to force her gaze away. _

_ The trip was anything but silent. All around her, soldiers were laughing raucously, telling each other stories and boasting about accomplishment. She was annoyed by the fact that they couldn't take their job seriously. They were meant to protect people, not get promoted. _

_ "She's probably insane, or something," said one of them behind her. _

_ "Probably escaped a mental hospital, and had to steal a soldier's uniform. There's no way some girl would be able to come on a high profile mission like this."_

_ Lightning felt her eyebrow twitch. _

_ "Or maybe, she used to be a prostitute…"_

_ "You know," interrupted Lightning loudly, without turning around, "Where I come from, there's this moral we have: not talking about people like they aren't there. As a matter of fact, the only people I recall breaking it are the gossip girls in my high school. So tell me, who're the real sissies here?"_

_ The room was utterly silent; all eyes were trained on her. Slowly, conversation eventually started up again, with the two near her now moving on to another topic, though they sounded angry. _

_ She relaxed a bit, confident that they got the message. Unwittingly, her eyes flickered over to Colonel Raines. He was staring at her thoughtfully for what seemed to be the millionth time during the trip, with something akin to amusement on his face. Before she could look away, he gave her a tiny nod. _

_ It was enough to make her confused. Was he approving of her little speech? _

_ "Yo, Raines!" yelled Rygdea from the front. "Something's on the radar…"_

_ While the colonel went to investigate Lightning pondered the mission. She'd only seen pictures of Garuda Interceptors before, but she'd never had to meet one face-to-face. How difficult would a fight with one be? Hopefully, not too bad…_

_ She quickly composed her face to be blank while nerves began to build up in her. Twenty years old or not, she was still very young, and Serah was always telling her that she had all of her life ahead of her. Lightning did not want to die, especially considering that Serah would be all alone if she did. _

_ She was the first to hear it- a distant boom. A moment later, she was thrown into the seat in front of her by an enormous impact. Groaning, Lightning slid back into her seat, holding her head, which was now pounding violently. Judging by the sounds of the others around her, they'd all gotten about the same treatment. _

_ Raines was suddenly back in front of them. "We're being fired upon by a Pulse Armament. Jettison may be necessary."_

_ Lightning stared at him, amazed at the calmness with which he said those words. Another hit rocked the shuttle, but she grasped the armrest to keep herself upright this time. She stared straight at Raines, waiting for instruction. _

_ He noticed she was the only one paying attention; once again, he seemed to be amused by this. She shot him a 'get on with it' look, and he cleared his throat. _

_ "Rygdea has informed me that our starboard engine is currently dysfunctional. Please remain calm." She couldn't help it- she almost smiled too when she saw that no one appeared to be listening to a word he said. He sighed to himself, glancing at her again and shrugging a bit. She bit back a grin (when had she ever been this cheerful?), and shrugged back. _

_ He turned to one of the control panels nearby, typing in a few things before the top of the shuttle suddenly flew off. Several of the soldiers screamed, high-pitched and like little girls. Lightning crouched on her headrest before pushing herself up and out, the wind catching her as the shuttle raced away. She could make out other figures leaping out as well, and guessed that they'd finally regained their senses. _

_ They obviously had had nothing to do for awhile now. _

_ Then the severity of her situation dawned upon her, and Lightning swore. She was free-falling towards the ground below; judging by the heaps of trash all over, they'd arrived in the Vile Peaks. Normally, this would not have been a problem for the soldier, but for one fact: _

_ She didn't have her Grav-Con unit. _

_ There was no way she could survive a fall like that without one, but she gritted her teeth. She was going to have to, unless she wanted to go, 'splat'. Gritting her teeth, Lightning righted herself so that she was falling face down, able to see the approaching ground. She winced, thinking how much this would hurt, but with luck she'd get a broken neck- then it would end faster. _

_ Luck- or maybe it was bad luck- allowed her to live, though. Noticing a particularly large trash heap, she angled herself towards it, in the faint hope that maybe- just maybe- it would break her fall enough. _

_ It did, but it hurt like hell. _

_ Lightning yelped when she hit the scrap pile, gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of her. She sank quickly into the load, feeling something metal scratch her forehead. _

_ She moaned as the smell from it all assaulted her nostrils. Lightning kicked off some of the garbage, trying stiffly to climb back out. She winced when her hip suddenly twinged painfully, and placed her hand on it. Her fingers came back smeared with blood. _

_ Now she knew she had to get out. More than likely, she'd get infected if she didn't. Cursing, she heaved again and managed to uncover herself. The result was her rolling down it like a hill, only serving to make her hip explode in pain. Lightning groaned again, wanting nothing more than to just lie there when she finally came to a halt at the base. _

_ "Some mission this is," she muttered out loud, forcing herself to sit up. _

_ As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but scraps, scraps, and more scraps. Lightning pushed herself to her feet, surveying the area and feeling more in despair by the second. She was stranded in the Vile Peaks, without food, water, or shelter (though it probably wouldn't be much of a bother to build one), and she had a profusely bleeding hip wound. _

_ Lightning winced when she caught sight of the rusting shard lodged in her side, stained dark red with blood. Infection was almost unavoidable now, but she left it in there; taking it out meant risking bleeding to death. Gingerly, she took one step forward, ignoring how much her leg shook at the wave of fire that seared up her right leg. Another step, another… and she collapsed. _

_ It was no use; she just couldn't support it. Glaring around her, she caught sight of an old wooden pole that could work as a crutch. Grasping it, she used it to push herself upright again. Lightning sighed in relief when the wound didn't bother her from doing this, and continued to hobble along. _

_ She checked to make sure she still had her gunblade, sighing with relief when she found the reassuring leather hilt still in the scabbard. She also got around to picking out bits and pieces lodged in her hair, scowling in annoyance. _

_ Lightning had just arrived in a small clearing, when a shrieking cry came from not far away. Something swooped down at her, and she threw herself to the ground, ignoring the jolt she received from doing so. _

_ It really wasn't her day. _

_ She registered three things as she beheld the enormous Garuda Interceptor in front of her. _

_ First of all, it was huge. It had to be at least five times bigger than any of the pictures made it out to be. Lightning couldn't help it- her heart was pounding, a repetitive thud-thud in her chest. The metal stuck in her skin seemed suddenly colder. _

_ Secondly, it had two mouths. The dumb pictures had always been front view, and had failed to capture the fact that aside from the slobbery, disgusting mouth in front, there was a second even bigger one where its butt should be. Lightning wondered if it barfed up its poop through there, or something. A strange grimace twisted its way onto her face at the thought. _

_ Third, it was hungry. That much was obvious- by the way the thing was drooling at her, and the fact that every in the Vile Peaks consisted of materials that would probably give it indigestion, it was ravenous for a little human snack. _

_ "Well, don't leave me hanging," she muttered, pulling out her Blazefire Saber. "Are you going to attack, or what?"_

_ The monster contemplated her in an odd way, eyeing her weapon warily. Great, so it was smart too… maybe she could scare it off. _

_ "Look at me!" she yelled, waving her weapon around stupidly. "I'm the mighty Lightning, here to slay the beast!"_

_ The Garuda Interceptor only gave her a look that said, 'Really?', before it lunged. _

_ Lightning ran out of the way just as the giant beast crashed into the ground where she'd been standing moments before. Knowing that she had little other choice, she ripped the scrap out of her hip, feeling it tear into her muscle as she did so. A scream escaped her mouth- long and full of anguish, but she threw the metal aside and charged the thing. _

_ She went from dying of falling to dying of being eaten by a giant bat. Fun. _

_ At least her blade managed to slice into one of its wings, before it used the other to bat her away, screeching angrily from the cut. Lightning let out another inhuman scream when she landed on her injured hip, and blackness almost covered her eyes. She violently pulled her way out of it, focusing on the Interceptor again. _

_ "It's annoying, having your dinner running all over the place, isn't it?" she asked. Lightning dodged another blow from the thing, quickly changed the saber to gun mode and shooting several bullets at the monster. They bounced harmlessly off the tough skin, causing Lightning to become even more annoyed. _

_ The thing was fast, though, and launched itself at her, knocking her to the ground. She kicked angrily at its head, before an idea came to her. It opened its mouth, the putrid breath nearly making her pass out as she stared at the rows of teeth. Reacting on instinct, she stabbed her blade into its mouth. _

_ The scream it made was enough for her to release her hold on her gunblade and covers her ears, yelling in irritation herself. She scrambled out from beneath it, staring in half-fascination as it collapsed to the ground, wheezing and dying from the fatal stab she'd given. Lightning suddenly felt dizzy, and fell to the side, panting. _

_ Exhaustion washed over her, and she didn't see that the thing had struggled up, and was stumbling towards her. All she heard was it suddenly shriek again, before even its rasps went silent this time. _

_ Footsteps… someone had turned up. A strong, but exceedingly gentle pair of arms lifted her up, and her hip jolted again. She hissed in annoyance, before lifting her head in time to see the concerned gray eyes of Cid Raines. _

_ "Damnit," she muttered, words slurred from being pain-drunk. "Put me down."_

_ "You did well," he praised her quietly. _

_ "Don't give a crap, feel like crap," she murmured, not really caring at that moment that this was her commanding officer she was talking to. _

_ "That's not surprising," he said gently. _

_ "Great, whatever," she said tiredly. "Wound's probably infected, gonna go die now, bye."_

_ "What?"- he stopped when he caught sight of her right side, his eyes widening. "Sergeant Farron, this is no laughing matter."_

_ "Metal was rusty, it's going to be infected. Don't be an idiot. Just get out of here, find Rygdea and the others."_

_ He carefully set her on the ground, on her non-injured side, regarding her coolly. "I'm not the idiot, Sergeant Farron," he said firmly. _

_ "Didn't have a Grav Con," she retorted. _

_ This time both eyebrows shot up, and he sighed. He took off his jacket, leaving on a muscle shirt beneath it (and consequently causing Lightning to blush again), before he knelt next to her and gently lifted her up, covering her wound and tying it tightly. _

_ "What are we going to do with you, Lightning?" he murmured, chuckling slightly. Lightning started; it was the first time he had refrained from calling her 'Sergeant Farron'. Why suddenly call her by her actual name? _

_ No… not even Lightning was her actual name, but it seemed to be working. Every day, she could feel 'Claire' getting farther and farther away, her old self fading. _

_ He looked at her, wonder in his eyes. "Claire? Is that your name?"_

_ She said that out loud? Lightning swore to herself, but nodded in response. She hadn't meant to tell him… but again, that overwhelming feeling of trust filled her. _

_ He sat down next to her, gazing up at the night sky of Cocoon. "I won't tell," he said, understanding in his expression. _

_ "I'll hold you to that," she murmured, as darkness closed over her eyes._

_

* * *

_

"Wow!" exclaimed Vanille, her green eyes wide with shock and fascination. "That's quite a story! So what happened next? Did I mention how romantic that is?"

"About five times, Vanille," said Serah, rolling her eyes. She giggled as she saw everyone around her stare, jaws dropped from her story. Sazh was the quickest to shut his mouth.

"Guess it shouldn't surprise me," he said, shrugging. "I always wondered why she took it so badly when he turned up in the ark." Everyone looked uncomfortable at the mention of this.

Currently, the group was sitting in Serah and Snow's living room, having thrown a party for Vanille in order to welcome her back from her crystal stasis. Since her sister wasn't there (and had left the message that she was going away for awhile), Serah had decided that it would be a good time to tell an old story from back when Lightning was still a member of the Bodhum Security Regiment.

"Well," continued Serah, noticing how everyone leaned forward, captivated by her narrative. "Unfortunately, sis couldn't really remember a whole lot after that, apart from the fact that she was delirious from fever. She was right- she definitely got infected, but Light fought it off."

"Because it's Light!" Vanille put in.

"Uh-huh," agreed Serah, smiling. "They were found by Rygdea and the rest of the soldiers later. Raines didn't leave Lightning's side once, even though she apparently told him to go often."

Snow whistled. "No wonder she feels so guilty," he mused, before noticing everyone staring at him. "What?"

"What do you mean, Snow?" asked Serah, frowning at her fiancé. What exactly had Lightning told him? Her sister was guilty about something, but she didn't know what.

Snow laughed nervously, before abruptly turning to Hope. "Do you remember who finished off Raines?"

Hope's face clouded in confusion a few moments. Then his eyes brightened, and he began to look uncomfortable. "Well… I don't really like to think about it- I mean, we all feel bad for what happened to him, but…" The kid swallowed. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm almost sure it was her. He broke her arm badly, the bone was coming out, and I think that instinct just… took over, so she shot him. Fatally," he added.

Serah felt her lower lip tremble slightly. All she had wanted was to tell a good story, but it only seemed to leave all of her friends even more miserable than before.

Vanille was the first to speak up again.

"So… did they ever…" her voice trailed off. "You know…"

"Nope," replied Serah. "I think that they both agreed that responsibilities came first. Lightning knew he had things to do, and she was taking care of me."

"Hey," spoke up Hope again, looking puzzled. "You guys remember when we were about to leave to board the Palamecia, and we couldn't find Light anywhere? You think she was with Raines?"

Heads jerked towards him, and he raised his hands defensively. "I'm just saying…"

"Eww!" squealed Vanille, giggling profusely, while Sazh rolled his eyes.

"Not like that," he mumbled. "They were probably just talking, or something."

"I don't know," said Serah. "Do you think that… maybe… something happened?"

"Hey, remember who's here," said Sazh, frowning and jerking his head in Dajh's direction; he was currently occupied with the Chocobo chick, playing some form of tag with it.

"I don't think so," said Snow thoughtfully. "If anything, she seemed pissed when we were ready to go. And, now that I think about it, kind of sad, too…"

* * *

"SPENCER! YOU GET YOUR LITTLE MIDGET ASS OUT OF MY SHOP!"

Lightning winced a bit as Lenora's indignant screech tore at her eardrums. She ignored the protestations of her stiff muscles as she got out of her meditative position on the floor of Lenora's bedroom, striding to the door quickly and flinging it open.

The scene that greeted her was Lenora towering over one of the shortest people she'd ever laid eyes on. He would've looked like an adult, but for his height; his platinum blond hair was curly, and his eyes were brown. Still, the stubborn scowl on his face informed her that he was not a pushover despite his being… vertically challenged.

His eyes immediately spotted her, and he relaxed a bit. "Oh, hi there," he said calmly, completely disregarding the fact that her uniform screamed, 'Guardian Corps' at him. "Sorry about her, she probably hasn't had her coffee yet."

"I can't freaking find it!" yelled Lenora. "And what the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"That's why I came," he stated, rolling his eyes and holding up a canister of pre-ground coffee. "I know you can be hell in the morning without it. Are you hungover?"

"No, thank you," snapped Lenora, snatching the can out of his hands and disappearing into her tiny kitchen. Lightning massaged her temples, taking in the fact that she was not only traveling with a crazy person, but that said person was an alcoholic as well who went berserk if she didn't have her coffee every morning.

"Make it quick," she called into the kitchen.

"I got it, I got it- ah shit!"

Lightning raised an eyebrow at Spencer, who explained.

"Her arm's stopped working again."

Lightning stared at him, perplexed. Did he mean that the unusual weapon she used wasn't working?

Lenora stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Arm's partially paralyzed. Long story. My TALON helps by sending electrical shocks to the nerve cells, but every now and again it goes haywire for some reason." She quickly ducked back inside.

Spencer back away slightly, raising his hands defensively. "Not my tale to tell," he said, shrugging.

They stood in Lenora's workshop, awkwardly avoiding looking at one another while Lenora clambered around the kitchen, a steady stream of profanities floating through the door. Lightning coughed a bit, unsure of what to say, but Spencer thankfully beat her to it.

"Guess I haven't properly introduced myself," he said, laughing a bit. "Name's Spencer Cartwright, nice to meet you."

"Lightning Farron."

"Crap," muttered Lenora, as she stumbled out of the door, one cup of steaming coffee clutched in her right hand. "I never knew that was your name."

"You didn't ask," said Lightning coldly.

"Yeah, whatever," said Lenora, turning back to Spencer and frowning. "What are you still doing here? Beat it, asshole!"

"Hmm… no thanks," he said, shrugging. "Somebody's gotta make sure your leash stays on. Speaking of which," he added, turning back to Lightning with a curious look, "Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"

"We're going to Cocoon," said Lenora quickly, before Lightning had the chance to shoot her a dirty look. She didn't need anyone else finding out what she was planning.

Oddly, Spencer didn't seem all that surprised by this. He merely rolled his eyes, mumbled something to himself, and turned back to Lenora. "Guess that mean's I'm going, too."

Lightning groaned inside, resisting the temptation to slap a hand to her face. This was exactly the result that she did not want; as far as she was concerned, he could mind his own business. Lenora seemed to have the same idea.

"Like hell you are!" she shouted. "We don't need _your_ help!"

Spencer shot her a withering look. "We both know that you're going to somehow bring alcohol with you, no matter how many times we check before leaving. Then you'll get drunk, and only I can handle you when you're drunk, and then you'll have a hangover _without_ your coffee."

Lenora's face transformed into pure horror at the mention of no coffee. "I will not get drunk!" she claimed indignantly.

"That's what you said before your vacation to Palumpolum," he retorted. "You were almost arrested for dancing on a roof."

Lightning watched the two bicker back and forth, noting that Lenora's arguments seemed to get weaker and weaker every time. She saw the stubborn look cross both their faces, and realized that the two had probably known each other for an incredibly long time. After Spencer's sincere descriptions of how out of control Lenora could become, she decided that maybe a threesome would be more useful than a partnership.

"He's coming with us," she said frostily, causing both of them to freeze. Spencer shot Lenora a triumphant smirk, while Lenora gave one of her half-completed mechanisms a look that would have incinerated it then and there.

Lightning didn't need to pack a whole lot- she just borrowed a knapsack from Lenora and stuffed it full of a few snacks (with luck, food could still be grown on Cocoon, and they'd come across a couple of wild plants) and a canteen of water. She'd had to smack Lenora upside the head for trying to bring the entire canister of coffee with her, before giving it to Spencer to hide somewhere.

When asking if they should hide any alcohol, he replied with, "Don't bother; I've tried everything to keep it away from her, and she still gets her hands on it somehow."

It wasn't the first time that she had questioned Lenora's sanity, but now she was almost certain that the (ironically) coffee haired woman had more than a few wires misplaced in her head. Still, despite all of this, the mechanic had an underlying toughness beneath her rash exterior that was disturbingly familiar to her.

* * *

"So…" Lenora spoke up uninvitedly, staring up at the enormous pillar before them. "How do we get up there?"

Lightning just snorted in response, beginning to leap up platform by platform, ascending as quickly her muscles would allow. It was going to be an incredibly long journey- the climb up the crystal pillar would take days, at least, and then… she had no clue.

Lightning didn't know what she'd do when they actually arrived in the sphere. She was supposed to be looking for answers, but where on Cocoon would she find them? Eden, which she was certain had fallen from its place in the sky, might be a good place to start… or perhaps Lake Bresha, where the Vestige containing Anima sat in crystallization was. Either way, she was going to have to come up with something, and soon.

"What are you, speed demon?" demanded Lenora as she suddenly appeared beside her. "You are a crazy soldier, you know that?"

Lightning was reminded of a certain man with a Chocobo living in his hair saying about the same thing to her, around two years ago. The thought came close to bringing a smile to her face, but she just couldn't find the effort to stretch the corners of her mouth.

Spencer was proving to be much more agile than his size showed, moving up, 'like a monkey on crack', as Lenora said. Lightning soon found herself getting into the rhythm of the climb, allowing it to sooth her troubled thoughts for a time. She was dreading when they'd have to stop; it was when sleep would be looming over her again, and along with it nightmares…

Hours passed, with the sun descending over Pulse again soon. The crystal seemed to emanate some kind of glow, which would hopefully light their way once darkness fell. Lightning marveled at the way the pillar seemed so intricately detailed, like a sculpture had been chipping away at it diligently for centuries, when in reality it had been created in a matter of seconds.

The trek was grueling, but to her surprise the other two kept at just as stoically as she did. Spencer managed to stay silent, and Lenora only voiced her protestations by swearing every so often. Lightning rethought her first impression that they'd be weak traveling companions, and decided that they were alright.

As high up as they were, she could see the entirety of New Bodhum and the surrounding areas. She pictured Serah and the others in one of the apartments below, probably celebrating Vanille's return and pondering where she'd run off to. Lightning wondered what their response would be if they could see her new comrades; it was just an unusual of a crew as before.

The sun edged out over the horizon, and Spencer paused in his hiking to admire it for a bit. Lenora rolled her eyes, but went over to join him, while Lightning looked back and sighed. Clearly, Spencer was a more nostalgic type of person.

"I've never seen the sunset with this great of a view before," he commented. "There's always buildings in the way."

Light stared out at the orange disc descending upon the horizon, realizing that he was right. The view was beautiful, and she suddenly wished that she entire gang was with her, to see that small miracle from up there. Not for the first time, she felt a horrible ripping sensation where her l'Cie brand used to be, and she forced herself to turn away, ignoring the choked feeling she had.

"We should keep moving," were her almost inaudible words, causing both Spencer and Lenora to look at her with unreadable expressions. Before they could say anything, she stalked away, still navigating through the crystal.

Behind her, she heard Lenora grumble something, before Spencer replied with a good-natured laugh.

"You never did like anything serious, Lenora," he joked. Lightning could picture the grin on his face, while Lenora was probably just scowling again. She couldn't help but feel both calmed by their antics and slightly left out by them. She brushed her bristly pink hair behind her ears, suddenly wishing that she hadn't cut it, and that it was still draped over her left shoulder.

They settled down for the night in a small enclosure, protected from the frigid night air around the pillar. Spencer recommended that they not eat anything until they were truly hungry, as none of them knew when they'd be getting a proper meal again. Lightning agreed with his logic, shooting a death glare at Lenora when she dared to complain.

First watch was no problem for her, while Spencer and Lenora got some rest. She returned, however, to find a bit of a comprising situation.

Spencer was curled up against his pack, snoring gently. Lenora, on the other hand…

"Hiiiii," she slurred, the bottle in her hand sloshing about as she waved. Lightning didn't bother to hide her groan this time, staring down Lenora, who looked back with clouded eyes.

"Where did you get that?" she asked bluntly, gesturing to the bottle.

"Not sure. Heey, ya wanna hear a story?"

Unsure of what to do, Lightning could only nod. She'd never had to deal with drunks before- Serah was smart enough to avoid it, and as for Fang… well, the woman had never gotten near the stuff.

"Okay, so it goes like… I'm from the slums in Eden. Didja know that?" Lenora bobbed her head up and down at Lightning's perplexed look. "Yeah, they had slums, alright. Me and my douchebag bro grew up there… hic… not ma booze!"

Lightning had just attempted to snatch the bottle out of Lenora's hands, but Lenora childishly pulled away.

"Anywho… bro hated it. Always did. Said we never deserved it, our father was an honorable man, so what if he died, blah-blah-blah. I never knew Dad, who cared? Can't remember how many times I told him to suck it up. Never swore either. I hated him. He just couldn't fit in, could he? He couldn't accept that we were stuck there- that there was no helpin' it. Couldn't accept that I was a lying, thievin', obnoxious bitch while he was a gentleman."

At this point, Lenora looked bitter, almost melancholy, to the point where Lightning thought she saw something that she probably wouldn't get to view if the woman was sober: remorse.

"Sooo… we had this game, right? It was kinda like, 'let's all go steal from the funny rich people'… cause seeing the looks on their faces was fuckin' hilarious. I loved that game, stole people's cells alla time… and use 'em to build other stuff. Kinda like my mechanic's beginnings, I guess. That douche never played, always tried to make an honest living (and failed). Theeeeen, one time, he actually did play."

She hiccupped again, while Lightning sighed, wondering if she was making this all up.

"But he got caught, by those dumbass Sanctum. See, people who got caught… they don' come back. He certainly didn't."

Lightning blinked, wondering at the implications of this. Ever since Lenora had first mentioned her older brother, she'd been curious as to who he was and what had happened to him. She seemed to hate him with a passion, and she thought that Lenora's relationship with him was almost opposite of what her and Serah's had been, and still was.

"So… you don't know if he's alive?" she asked.

"Ehhhhhhh?" mumbled Lenora. "If who's alive?" She suddenly shot a furious, half-focused glare at Lightning, who wasn't really all that fazed. "You're from da kangaroo squad, ain'tcha?" she yelled suddenly, clawing out at her. "Getta hell away from me!"

There was a faint rustling sound from the side, and Lightning almost pulled out her gunblade when Spencer dragged himself awake, groaning.

"Not the kangaroo squad again…" he moaned, rubbing his head. The dwarf seemed to jerk back into consciousness when he caught sight of the drunken Lenora about to keel over. Lightning couldn't help it; she smirked when his eyes widened, and he rushed over, steadying her.

"Wow, you're wasted this time," he muttered. Spencer turned back to Lightning, jerking his head towards the corner he'd been settled in. "I can take next watch; again, I know how to handle Lenora when she's drunk. Better get some sleep."

Lightning walked over without protest, despite the fact that deep inside, she was shaking in fear. So, who would haunt her this time? Would it be Cid Raines? Nora Estheim (sometimes, Hope's mother showed up; she wasn't sure why)? Countless soldiers that she had brutally killed in her earlier quest as a l'Cie?

Spencer's voice stopped her as she walked over to the little alcove, feeling hollow inside.

"You know, you're the first person who Lenora's ever told her past to willingly, even when she was drunk."

Lightning paused, unsure what he meant by this comment.

"I guess she trusts you. I always did wonder why she'd let you stay at her workshop, even though you're a soldier and all…"

Lightning found herself shuddering in revulsion at his words, and yet at the same time was somewhat mollified. The two people who she was in the company of at that moment were probably some of the few who had almost instantly disregarded the fact that she was a soldier- a killer. The only others who had done so were Fang, Serah, Snow, and…

No. Just no. She'd been thinking about him all too much recently; it was time that the subject became tabooed again.

Despite her will to only fake sleep, she blacked out the moment her head hit the ground.

* * *

_"Funny how Pulse can still seem like hell, even after you've been living there, isn't it?" said Cid mockingly. _

_ Lightning felt frustration welling up inside her, and she glared at him. "You're not letting me sleep this time either, are you?"_

_ "We both know that you couldn't anyway, even if you wanted to."_

_ Lightning didn't say anything. _

_ For a few moments, he was silent as well, and she fancied that maybe he couldn't think of anything to say (stupid; it was a dream, he was a figment of her mind), and she could get some rest after all. Still, his eyes were still there, catching hers when she least expected it, and teasing her. _

_ Lightning had never wanted to punch someone so much, but she didn't seem to have control of her muscles. _

_ "Are you wondering why Nora isn't here?" he inquired this time. _

_ Lightning seethed; so her apparitions were aware of each other? Whoop-de-do. _

_ "I don't care," she muttered. _

_ "I think you do," he replied, taking a step closer. Lightning's instinctive reaction was to back away, but her paralysis wouldn't leave her. Now she couldn't even look away. _

_ "You do because you know whose fault it is," he continued. "Your sister. You and I know how different it would all be, if she hadn't snuck into the Vestige."_

_ "Shut up," growled Lightning, feeling her anger beginning to boil. _

_ "That makes it your fault," he said thoughtfully, though he seemed to be fully aware that each accusation was like a stab wound that would be open and bleeding for days. _

_ "You were closing up," he stated, taking another step forward. "You were shutting Serah out. This caused rebellion in her, and she was tempted to do what you wouldn't have allowed her to."_

_ "Stop," she whispered. _

_ "Nora died because of you- not because of Snow, or the Sanctum- because of you."_

_ His words nearly brought tears to her eyes, but Lightning did not cry. More like she couldn't cry, actually- the thought of doing so was foreign. When was the last time she had actually let the tears flow? _

_ Ah, yes… when her parents died. When she swore it would be the last time. _

_ "But maybe you don't want to be blamed," he said, this time stepping close enough that his hand reached out, and he gently caressed her neck. _

_ "Maybe," he said, more softly now, "You're just a shattered shell of your former self on the inside, who became a soldier to repent. Repent for leaving your parents to that fire, in order to save yourself and Serah."_

_ Lightning tried to give an argument, but found herself distracted by the simple action of his thumb stroking her neck. How could just one touch make her blood freeze and simmer at the same time? She had to fight with all her willpower to keep herself from shuddering as a result of the shivers currently running down her spine. _

_ She begged silently for the powers that be- fal'Cie, deities, anything- would wake her up. There was no way that his touch could be so incredibly real, and his eyes were still boring into hers. _

_ "Maybe you want someone to understand you," he said. _

_ Lightning let loose one shuddering sob, trying to keep it silent, but she couldn't help it. What he was saying hit so close to home, and it hurt to hear it. She hated being reduced to this. _

_ Then the image shifted, and it wasn't him who was there (though she could still feel the ghost of his touch on her), but in front of her was Lenora, laying on the ground, smiling in an odd way. _

_ It would've been funny, but for the gaping hole in her chest. _

_ "Weird," muttered the half-coherent woman. "And all I wanted to do was help out a little…"_

To which Lightning woke up, forced to quell the near overwhelming desire to scream.

* * *

Vanille hummed happily to herself, skipping her way down the street. In order to not look too conspicuous, she'd had to borrow some clothes from Serah, as they were around the same size. Though she somewhat missed the freedom her tribal wear gave her, she did love the new outfit.

It consisted of a flowing blue skirt that reached her knees, a pair of high heels, and a light pink blouse. She had instantly squealed upon viewing herself in the mirror, immediately deciding that this was the outfit she wanted to wear.

Despite the high spirits with which she set out (with no particular goal in mind), Vanille's good mood was quickly deflated. The devastation from the other day still remained, and cleanup crews were still dragging away the body bags, most of which were stained with blood. Several buildings along the street had been leveled by behemoths, and every person that she laid eyes on had a despondent look upon their faces. The angst in the air was like a poison, or a disease, and Vanille was catching it too.

She pouted; it wasn't fair! She had hoped to return to find everyone living good lives, with smiles on their faces. But inside she found Serah stressed out, Snow anxious to help her, Hope repeatedly frustrated, Sazh being depressed, and Lightning… Lightning never smiled. Not that she used to smile a lot, but now it was as though she'd forgotten how to form that particular expression.

At least, that was what Serah told her; Vanille had seen so little of Lightning, since she quickly left on a mysterious trip.

Vanille sighed, tugging at her new headband, which Serah had insisted she wear to make up for the fact that she lost one of her ponytail holders in the ruckus. It did hurt her head a bit, but she didn't want to hurt Serah's feelings.

But above all, she missed Fang.

Fang, who was her sister and best friend at the same time. The courageous and hardy young woman was her pillar, and not having her around was like missing a part of herself.

Which led to the question… why didn't she wait for her?

"Oh, well," she said to herself, ignoring the strange looks that passerby gave her. "I guess there's no helping it."

"Helping what?"

She whirled, her heart positively pounding in her chest. "Hope!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Gosh, you scared me!"

"Eh, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. He noticeably took in her appearance, before turning bright red.

"What's up?"

"I… uh… y-you look…" he swallowed a bit. "Pretty. Very pretty."

Vanille stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words. The only time when he didn't seem to speak with confidence had been just after his mother's death. The thought brought a blush to her face, and she managed to stammer out a reply.

"Thank you."

They stood in silence for a few moments, and she couldn't help but think how horribly awkward this was. It was an odd feeling for her; she and Hope used to talk so easily, getting along unfailingly well because of the closeness of their ages. Now, though, it seemed like everything she could think of to say would sound stupid.

"So…" She released a breath of relief when Hope spoke up first. "What've you been up to?"

"Nothing much," she replied, clasping her hands shyly behind her back. "I was… uh… just looking around! You know…"

"Exploring?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and looking amused. She nodded fervently.

"Well, uh, I'll explore with you," he said, falling into step beside her. Vanille nodded again, gulping a little.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ she berated mentally. It was Hope; what was wrong with her?

They strolled down the street in silence, surveying the damage and the people who still lived among it. A thought occurred to Vanille suddenly.

"Hey, Hope?"

"Hmm?"

"How come Rygdea's primarch, anyway? Didn't he turn into a Cie'th?"

Hope shrugged. "Yeah, he did. When Barthandelus died, though, most of them turned back into humans. We're not really sure why."

"Huh. That's weird. But hey! It's a good thing, right?"

"I guess so. But…"

He didn't need to speak the words. But nothing was right, not anymore. Vanille felt herself droop again, and she aimlessly began heading back in the direction of Lightning's apartment. Hope trailed along beside her, the heavy feeling of sadness weighing down on both of them.

She really missed Fang.

They both nearly jumped out of their skin when a scream erupted from the other side of the street. Vanille laid eyes on a person garbed entirely in black, sprinting up the street with several Guardian Corps officers in pursuit of them. She glanced at Hope, who was preparing to help them, and grabbed his arm.

"Come on!" she cried. "We need to check to make sure everyone's okay!"

She could tell that he was reluctant, but he didn't have much choice. She dragged him over to the crowd, squeezing through people to the center of the circle that had been made. She let out a gasp at the sight, and felt Hope stiffen.

A man lay on the ground before them, blood seeping into the cobblestones from a gunshot wound. Beside them, an elderly woman whispered:

"That's Erranth Gymmerick. He's on the High Council! That'll be quite the upset…"

Someone else in the crowd hissed, "Shit."

Vanille's head, meanwhile, was spinning. All she could do now was fall to her knees in horror, wondering who would want to topple the lives of these people.

* * *

For the second day in a row, Lightning was awoken by a loud phrase of swearing.

"_Holy shit!_ What the hell, Lightning, why didn't you tell us you have a bullet wound?"

She couldn't open her eyes at first; they were sticky with sleep, and were sealed shut. Reaching up, she pried them open to see Lenora staring at her from across the alcove, a cross of annoyance and horror on her face. Spencer was already up and moving about, tearing up one of his spare shirts into strips for bandages.

It was then that Lightning became aware of the warm, sticky substance on her abdomen. She looked down to see her normally white vest stained with red. She groaned, annoyed that the wound would be affecting her again; she really needed to take a few more potions.

"You were thrashing in your sleep from a nightmare," explained Spencer as he knelt down beside her. "And you started bleeding all of a sudden. Can you dress yourself?"

She nodded, taking that wad of bandages from him and unzipping her vest turning away in order to hide her assets from them. Behind her, Lenora groaned.

"Crap, I mean, going on a freaking journey with that kind of wound? What the hell is wrong with you? Fuck, my head hurts."

"You should've thought about that before you drank the whiskey," said Spencer curtly, the midget now kneeling beside Lenora and helping her sit up. "You don't have your coffee either, so I guess we don't get any sunshine from you today."

"Shut the fuck up," she muttered.

Lightning found the corners of her mouth turning upward again, and that strange giddy feeling building up in her chest. What was with her? These two were coming that close to actually making her laugh- something she hadn't even felt the need to do in months? The two began another of their bickering sessions, with Spencer winning once again with common sense.

Lightning winced as she wrapped the bandages around her stomach. Once making sure they were secure, she zipped back up, ignoring the fact that her uniform was now red, and dug around in her bag for a potion. She ignored the disgusting taste, gulping down the entire thing in less than a minute.

"Damn," called Lenora, staring at her. "You'd be one hell of a binger."

"Thanks," was her dry reply. Lightning forced herself to her feet, despite her muscles screaming in protest. She was out of shape, she realized with some surprise. Now that she'd actually gotten some sleep (for once), she just wanted more. She should've just taken watch the entire night.

"So, we've got another day of shit? In other words, climbing and getting essentially nowhere?"

Lightning was about to send her a withering look, when something in the morning sky caught her eye. Wyverns were circling about the pillar, shrieking every so often. An idea began to form in her mind.

"Spencer," she called. "Do you have any kind of weapon?"

When he didn't answer her immediately, she turned around, only to see Lenora glaring daggers at Spencer, who coughed a bit, red in the face. It wasn't until Lenora finally threw her empty bottle from the previous night at him, hitting him in the shoulder, that he answered by pulling a strange contraption from his bag.

Lightning stared at it; it appeared to be a sort of crossbow, only it had a small, rectangular black stone set in the shaft. Several parts of it had blinking, flashing lights, and it beeped every so often.

"It's practically a harpoon…" he groaned.

"You douche! I made that for you, and this is the thanks I get?" barked Lenora, her gray eyes flashing. "Took me a whole fucking six months, too. It wasn't easy!"

"Actually, this could be very useful," said Lightning, taking it from him. She was impressed even more by how advanced the weaponry; it even had a targeting system. Taking aim through the computerized scope, she pulled the trigger on one of the wyverns.

The black stone was launched from the device, shooting forward with more speed and power than she'd thought possible. Just as it reached the target, it broke apart into tiny fragments, each emitting a blue spark of electricity. The wyvern screamed, caught in the unusual net, before it began floating back to the group, thrashing the entire time.

"Magnetics!" crowed Lenora, looking delighted that her machine was so successful. "They work wonders… so, uh, what're we gonna do about that thing?"

"We're going to catch a ride," Lightning replied, not looking at either of them- she knew what their facial expressions would be already: they'd be looking at her like she was insane.

And maybe she was, she now realized. It was possible, what with all of the insomnia she'd had lately.

As the wyvern drew near, she pressed the trigger again, releasing it from its cage before leaping at it herself. Just as she'd seen Fang do years ago, she now drove her Blazefire Saber into its neck, trapping it on the crystal pillar.

"I can't believe that I'm fucking doing this," muttered Lenora as she clambered on, Spencer only hesitating momentarily before he followed. "Screw all my other vacations, this one beats them."

Spencer just snorted.

Lightning felt a giddy feeling in her stomach, as the wyvern flew up far faster than they could've climbed, straight towards the dark hole in Cocoon's side. Lenora didn't seem too bothered, staying silent, while Spencer actually looked a little green. She admired the view of Gran Pulse stretching away beneath them, before it was suddenly engulfed in darkness.

She frowned, surveying the area. They'd arrived in Cocoon.

"Damn, I forgot how depressing this place is."

Lenora's words echoed in Lightning's mind, and she couldn't help but agree. The landscape was just barely visible to them, but she could make out the shining crystal of Lake Bresha below them, with the Gates of Antiquity not far off. Somewhere higher, above ground, the ruins of Eden, Nautilus, Palumpolem, and Bodhum lay, razed from Cocoon's fall.

"I heard the rumors, but…" came Spencer's voice. Lightning started when she remembered that neither of them had probably seen the remains of the lake or the gates in their crystallized form. She waited until the Wyvern got close enough to the ground, and then jumped off. Lenora yelled something after her, but it was lost in her screech as she and Spencer also plummeted from their ride. Lightning landed hard, remembering her other experience of not having a Grav-con unit with her. She really needed to carry one around permanently.

Lightning turned to the huge stairway. For a moment, she felt almost dizzy- as though she had traveled back in time. Two years ago, she'd stood in this very same spot, leading Sazh, Vanille, and Hope up to the Vile Peaks. It gave her a sense of déjà vu, which was broken by Lenora and Spencer coming up behind her.

"Wow…" came Lenora's whisper. The place was utterly silent, and that gave them all the need to lower their voices instead of speaking out loud. Lightning nodded in agreement, staring up at where the orange crystals still remained. Slowly, she began taking one step up, then another.

When her foot hit the first step, she heard Spencer and Lenora make exclamations. Then she herself blacked out.

* * *

Spencer had no clue where he was. All he knew was that he felt like crap.

Slowly, he forced his eyes open, blinking at the sight before him. An elderly woman crouched in front of him, cackling with insanity. He blinked at the odd sight, before glancing around him.

Somehow, he'd been taken to a deeper part of the ruins. Lightning and Lenora were nowhere in sight, despite having been right next to him before.

"So, you're awake," rasped the woman. "About time. Damnit, why did I let her convince me to do this?"

Spencer slowly raised an eyebrow. She sounded like an aged Lenora.

Suddenly, faster than she should've been able to move, she grabbed his ankle. He yelled and struggled, freezing when a burning sensation hit him. When she let go again, she was smirking.

"My name's Carbuncle, and you're my l'Cie now."

* * *

"Mother fucking shit! I don't like you at all, fancy pants asshole from hell!"

She continued to rant at the red haired man in front of her, who only smirked. Lenora scowled, scratching at the mark on her forehead that had appeared. Hatred welled up inside her, as she glared at him.

"I'm really tempted to sing my rendition of, 'Glory to the fal'Cie' right about now," she snarled. The man still didn't seem to be bothered by her threats. He really wasn't that much older than her, almost the same age as her brother would've been. She dragged herself to her feet.

"Before you make good on that threat," he said lightly, "You should know that Lightning Farron was one of the six l'Cie who saved Cocoon. There is also something you should know about the death of your brother…"

* * *

Lightning opened her eyes, aware that she was no longer in the same place. Already her brain was whirling, trying to figure out some way to get out of the current situation. She reached for her gunblade.

"I wouldn't try it," came the sickly sweet voice of a young girl. She sat up, glaring at a blond child wearing a delicate white dress. The girl's eyes were an eerie silver, and she smiled pleasantly. "Killing me won't do you any good. Your friends have already been marked. Soon, you'll join them."

"Where are they?" The concerned words were spilling out of her mouth as she stood up. "What have you done with them?"

"Don't worry," replied the girl, obviously not trying to placate her. "They're with Phoenix and Carbuncle right now; no harm will come to them. Spencer Cartwright, I believe… and who was the other one? Ah yes- Lenora Raines."

Lightning felt the world stop around her. How was it even possible? Was she really?...

"Younger sister to Cid Raines, I believe," continued the girl, not taking her eyes off of her. Lightning felt like her head was spinning, but in reality the revelation wasn't really all that surprising. While Lenora acted nothing like her brother, they did have a lot in common- the same hair color, the same eye color, and that same obvious toughness. She'd also thought that the determined glint in Lenora's eye was familiar.

"How do you feel now?" asked the girl, looking positively gleeful at Lightning's awestruck expression. "Betrayed? Angry? Hurt? The two never really did like each other, you know, but they were still siblings; imagine Lenora's response when she discovers that you killed her brother."

Her eyes snapped back to the girl, and she did feel anger, but not at Lenora. She did feel betrayed, but what reason would Lenora have for telling her? She was obviously used to keeping it secret. No, she was angry at the deceptively fragile little girl in front of her, now sneering.

"I'll show you a memory; would you like that? I bet you would." Before Lightning could slash at her, or even protest, her arm had been clamped down upon in a vice-like grip, and images began to play back behind her eyes, like a movie.

_"Move!" came a yell, as a young boy with messy black hair began shoving his way through a crowd. "I said move!" _

_ He ran towards several steel train tracks, where a figure lay huddled there, surrounded by several other children. Each one wore the same ragged clothing- not complete rags, but still very well worn. The boy stared down in horror at the smaller child, who had unevenly cut black hair that was the same shade as his. _

_ "What happened?" he asked, appearing to be calm, but his hands were shaking. _

_ "We were just playing, Cid!" one girl whispered, still staring at the body. "There aren't usually trains here… but this one was weirdly fast…"_

_ The shape stirred slightly, prompting a young Cid Raines to kneel down beside it. "Lenora?" he whispered, and there was no denying the fear in his voice. _

_ "…Cid? I can't feel my arm…"_

_ Panic flashed across his face, and he yelled for someone to call the paramedics. _

_ "Why? The Sanctum's never helped us!" called a random person in the crowd. "Why would they even come?"_

_ "Just do it!" he shouted, losing his composure. Returning his gaze to Lenora, he whispered, "Don't move."_

_ "But I'm fine!" she protested, now struggling. "Nothing hurts, I can get up!"_

_ The scene changed, to reveal the two a bit older, standing in a small room with only a bunk bed and a rotting desk. Cid's face was stony as he looked at Lenora, who was scowling furiously at him. _

_ "I thought I told you no."_

_ "Fuck off!" she spat, ignoring his slight wince. "I got a cell phone out of it, and how else are we going to get by? You can never get a job."_

_ His face, if possible, hardened even more. "I might be able to get one," he said through clenched teeth, "If I didn't have to deal with your antics!"_

_ Lenora's eyes widened with rage. "Yeah, well guess what bastard!" she yelled. "We live in the slums, and nothing's going to freaking change that, so just get over yourself!" _

_ Again the scene changed, though they were in the same room. Cid was asleep, looking oddly peaceful. Lenora, meanwhile, snuck to the desk, glancing behind her. She quickly stuck a cell phone and a note on the wood surface, before clambering back into the bottom bunk and shutting her eyes tight. _

_ The note read:_

Heya bro. Sorry about yesterday; I didn't really want to worry you. Happy Birthday. Lenora.

_Now it was a different scene again, with Lenora standing in front of the desk alone. The room was otherwise deserted. _

_ In a sudden burst of anger, she screamed, grabbing the note and ripping it to shreds, before storming out of the room. _

Lightning inhaled deeply as she came back to herself. She could scarcely believe that they had that kind of relationship; sure, she and Serah had had their fair share of fights, but nothing to the extent of what went on between Cid and Lenora.

"Well, did you have fun?" asked the girl, still grinning sinisterly.

She shook herself and gave a steely glare to her. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Eden." When Lightning raised an eyebrow, she gave a childish pout. "It wasn't obvious? Hmph! Typical of you humans and your stupidity." Noticing that Lightning had not lowered her eyebrow, she huffed again. "Honestly, give us fal'Cie some credit. We didn't _all_ need Orphan's power to stay alive. Yes, our powers are greatly diminished, and I'm trapped in this ridiculous form, but I can still create l'Cie!"

Lightning resisted the temptation to tell Eden that she thought the form suited her just fine. Instead, she asked, "What's my focus this time? Destroy New Bodhum?"

"Ah-ah-ah," stated Eden, wagging a finger at her. "You see, I wanted to try something a bit… different, now. You see, I was wondering why it was that humans always, always win… so I decided that maybe I would try to do something good for a change, instead of being selfish- which I am very rarely. I can't believe that that idiot Barthandelus didn't see it."

Lightning didn't think that she'd met anyone more self-absorbed. Eden was by far the pettiest fal'Cie she'd ever met, nothing like the other ethereal beings she'd encountered. She quickly became aware of a burning sensation, directly over her heart.

Eden grinned wickedly. "Time to show you your focus."

_Millions upon millions. _

_ Faces were everywhere, lined up along the top of a cliff. Some had random possessions in their hands. Several faces stood out to her, but they were gone in a flash, and she couldn't be sure… but she thought that it was everyone she'd left behind in Bodhum. _

_ They were watching what looked like an enormous dust cloud in the distance. There was a resounding crash, like the shattering of a thousand windows._

_

* * *

_

Author's note: Phew! Took forever, but chapter two is finished. The memory with Cid and Lightning at the beginning was kind of spontaneous, but I wanted to write about how they met; I hope you liked it. Anyways, questions to consider:

1. Surprised by Lenora's identity? Probably not, I might've made it obvious… sorry.

2. Any and all other questions from the previous chapter.

3. Found another anime pairing that I can compare Cid/Light to! Kalulu, anyone? (That's Kallen/Lelouch from Code Geass).

4. What was up with the murder of the aristocrat?

5. Next chapter, Lightning will have a big heart to heart with someone. Guess who?

6. Opinions on the flashbacks/dream?

Anyway, thank you for reading, it warms my heart. Any feedback is appreciated, so please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Stabbed in the Back

"Sis?" Lightning's eye twitched at the sound of Serah's voice. "Hey, Light? You okay?"

Lightning snapped both eyes open, quickly shutting them again because of the sunshine streaming in the window. When they were opened once more, the images blurred for a moment before falling into place, revealing Serah's anxious face above her. Instantly, she felt guilty; there were dark circles beneath her sister's eyes, like she'd been refusing to get any sleep in her vigil over Lightning.

"Yeah," she muttered, voice raw and cracked. She sat up slowly, aware that blood would rush to her head if she didn't. Blinking, she realized that she was currently in Serah and Snow's apartment, lying in the guest room. "How…?"

Serah shrugged, looking helpless. "I don't really know… a couple of members of the Guardian Corps found you three unconscious at the base of the crystal pillar, and, well…" she swallowed visibly. "Your two friends were both marked as Sanctum l'Cie- the boy on his ankle and the woman on her forehead. Claire… are you…?"

Lightning suddenly realized what she meant. Even though there was no burning sensation, she could feel it there- already weighing her down with the focus it brought. She nodded silently, looking away from the bright blue eyes.

"Light!" cried Serah; Lightning hated it when she fretted. "What happened? Don't tell me you actually went to Cocoon!"

Her silence was all the answer that her sister needed.

Serah sighed a bit. "Typically stubborn," she murmured, half to herself. "Do you know what your focus is?"

Lightning wondered if she should inform her sister of the strange vision- of the millions on the cliff top. Deciding that it was best if Serah didn't get involved, she said, "No. Where's Lenora and Spencer?"

Serah suddenly deflated, her outrage momentarily forgotten, before she giggled. "Oh, they're fine. Spencer's gone to reign in Lenora, and Lenora's currently trying to kill my fiancé."

Lightning could only raise an eyebrow, before she exited the room. Sure enough, Snow was running pathetically around the apartment, pure fear on his face, while Lenora screeched curses at the top of her lungs (not sounding unlike a shrieking wyvern) and chased him with her TALON out and ready. Spencer sat in one of the recliners, yawning and monitoring the spectacle with something akin to amusement on his face.

She made her way over to him; oddly enough, at that moment he was the one that she felt the most familiar with.

"You're doing a great job of 'reigning her in'," she commented wryly. Spencer only chuckled in reply.

Lenora slowed upon noticing Lightning now in the room. "Hey there, soldier bitch! Your sister took good enough care of us, she's sweet, I guess. Spencer, stop laughing, midget ass!"

Lightning once again felt laughter building up inside her, and had to push it down. It was happening more and more often these days.

"Anywho, there's something that's really fucking important that we need to talk about. Do you know who the hell I am? Yeah? Good, that helps, I just- WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, YA LITTLE FUCKER?"

The last outburst was directed at Snow, who had frozen in the middle of his attempt to crawl out of the room. Lenora delivered a swift kick to his behind before turning back to Lightning.

"Yeah," she growled sarcastically, all signs of good nature vanishing. "I'm Lenora Raines. Cid Raines was my older brother. Big whoop. Thanks for killing him for me, by the way."

The room fell deathly quiet at her words. Snow's mouth was open, like he wanted to say something, eyes flickering between Lightning and Lenora. Spencer was staring at Lenora with a warning look in his eyes. Lightning herself did not take her gaze off of Lenora, noting the bitter tone with which the tall woman had spoken.

"Oh, I know all about it," said Lenora. "Not that you could've told me, you didn't know who I was, but I would still like to hear your reasoning for it."

That was probably the longest that Lenora had ever spoken without swearing, making Lightning realize that she was dead serious. But she couldn't bring herself to speak the truth, not with everyone listening now.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," she said, her voice practically oozing cold and carelessness.

Lenora drew back her fist and slugged Lightning in the face. Snow and Spencer yelled, rushing forward to grab Lenora, but Lightning held up a hand, unfazed. She needed to let the woman get it all out of her system.

"Stop it, Lenora!" said Snow loudly. "Your brother was trying to kill us! He was a Sanctum l'Cie!"

"So you were Pulse l'Cie, and you thought you had to fight him?" murmured Lenora, not looking up.

"It wasn't like that," argued Snow. "He was trying to fight his focus. Dysley wanted us to destroy Cocoon, and Raines thought he could stop us by killing us! Lightning did what she had to to save us all!"

Lenora suddenly froze, looking around at everyone slowly. "So… he thought he could kill you, and that'd be it?" she whispered. Then anger blazed into her eyes. "That bastard! I'm gonna kill him and send him to hell when I die!" Lightning thought it ironic- she promised Cid the same thing.

She turned back to Lightning, not looking all that apologetic. "Sorry about punching you," she stated. Lenora slumped, looking exhausted. "After he vanished, I started tinkering with machinery a bit more. It's how I became a mechanic, I guess. When I made a prosthetic for one man, more people started coming to me to fix things. I eventually made enough to get out of there, and moved to a little town near Bodhum. We got purged when I was nineteen, and then I found out that my effing _brother," she spat out the word contemptuously, "Was replacing Dysley as Primarch."_

"That wasn't really him, though, was it?" mused Snow. "He was only a shell, a puppet of what he used to be."

Lightning felt distinctly uncomfortable at his words, and could practically hear Cid whisper: "That's what you are now, and you know it." She wanted to protest out loud, but it would only draw attention to herself, and…

What if he was right? She was a l'Cie again, tied to a focus, cursed to bear this task or face turning into a Cie'th. The fal'Cie were using her yet again, and they'd dragged two other innocents into their game as well. The thought disgusted her.

"Hey everyone!" came a peppy, cheerful voice from the doorway. Vanille waved from there, Hope beside her. Lightning quirked an eyebrow at him, and he reddened slightly.

"Lightning!" Before she could stop her, Vanille barreled into her with a bone-crushing hug. "You're back! Sorry about your apartment, I was staying there, Serah said you wouldn't mind…?"

Lightning gave her a tight smile and shook her head. "I don't."

"Okay, great!" squealed Vanille. She bounced over to Lenora, peering up at her face. "Hello! Who are you?"

Lenora looked half shocked, and half like Vanille was contagious with some kind of horrible disease. "I need my coffee," she stammered out, before practically fleeing into the kitchen. As she passed Lightning, she heard her mutter something along the lines of , "…too happy…"

Spencer followed her. "She forgot to deactivate her TALON…"

* * *

"Things aren't great around here, Light," said Serah, bustling around the kitchen and preparing lunches for the many people in her apartment. "Someone's started going around and murdering government officials. Vanille and Hope found Gimmerick's body the other day, and a few more were found in their homes. The Guardian Corps has been frantic, and PSICOM… well, they're not really helping."

"I should probably report to Amodar," replied Lightning.

"Nope," said Serah, in a tone that allowed no argument. "He said that you're still on leave for two days, he doesn't want you tearing your hair out over this. Plus, there's the fact that you're a Sanctum l'Cie now, too."

Lightning bit back a sharp retort, but she knew that Serah was only trying to look out for her.

In the other room, most people were having conversations. Vanille was chattering away with Spencer of all people, though he looked distinctly uncomfortable. Hope was arguing with Sazh and Lenora about airships, discussing their functions and which one was the best. Snow stared out into space, probably wondering when Serah would come back and sit next to him.

Lightning frowned slightly from where she was, pondering what Serah had told her. She was almost certain that all that was occurring was not a coincidence- her being branded had made her certain of that. Was Eden the one who was orchestrating all of this? It was possible that the fal'Cie had lied when she'd said that she wanted to attempt being a do-gooder.

And yet… her vision hadn't really involved anything all that bad. The people in it appeared to be fine, after all.

So if Eden wasn't behind the mayhem, then who was? Whoever was going around killing aristocrats was clearly skilled in combat and stealth. Snow had also mentioned to her that all these events were causing a large amount of unrest among the population- more than one person was considering revolting at that point, thinking that the government was unable to protect them. In fact, many had already left the city, wandering through the Pulse wilderness.

Lightning couldn't help but think that they were idiots. Only those trained to fight stood a chance in the wild. Hopefully, those that had departed were in large groups, and their safety would be enhanced by numbers.

"Anyways, lunch is almost ready," said Serah. "Why don't you go sit down?"

The tone with which she said it was the way a mother would speak to her daughter. Lightning did as she asked, if only because her sister did not look ready for an argument. As a matter of fact, she looked exhausted; probably from taking care of Lightning, which only served to make her feel more guilty.

"You had better marry that idiot soon," she muttered, unaware that the entirety of the living room's occupants were staring at her in shock.

"Did I hear right, sis?" said Snow. "You actually approve?"

"Course not!" barked Lenora loudly. "She said, 'Snow Villiers is a hairy dick.' You had it coming, ass."

Snow huffed while the others sniggered, and they didn't notice the look of gratitude that Lightning sent Lenora. Lenora returned it with an actual grin and a nod.

Lunch was mostly eaten in silence, until Spencer ended up being the one breaking it.

"So… Lenora and I are new to the whole l'Cie thing," he said slowly. All eyes were trained on him, and he shifted, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. "Uh… how does it work?"

Vanille seemed more than happy to oblige him with an explanation. "Well, when you're a l'Cie you get a focus! You have to complete it, or your turn Cie'th; when you do, you turn to crystal! Don't worry, though, most likely you'll wake up. Anyways, you also get magical powers; they develop kinda slowly, so be patient. Oh, and when you're frustrated and stuff, you get an eidolon!"

"Idol-whatnow?" asked Lenora blankly.

"A creature that you can summon at will," explained Sazh. "Didn't you know at least that?"

"Never was fond of that mythology shit."

"Oi! There are kids here!" said Sazh, glancing at Dajh. Dajh grinned innocently at his dad, while Lenora flipped Sazh the bird.

"See this, Dajh?" she said loudly. "This is what you do when you're pissed at someone."

While Sazh frantically told Dajh over and over again to never use such vulgarity, the rest of them filled the two fledgling l'Cie in. Needless to say, Lenora actually seemed rather happy about it, showing this by 'accidentally' casting Ruin on Snow. Spencer had then very calmly sent a cure to the man, who was mostly all right.

"That man is a frickin rock!" spluttered Lenora. "Is there _anything _that kills you?"

"Hopefully not," replied Snow, actually chuckling. Lightning rolled her eyes; their antics were probably something that was going to become regular. She had to admit, it seemed as though Lenora and Spencer were a part of the family now. They certainly kept up the group's reputation of being… odd.

A knock on the door silenced the talking for a few moments. Serah, looking confused, stood up and opened it, revealing a very harassed looking Rygdea standing.

"Oh!" gasped Serah, hands flying to her mouth. "Mr. Primarch, sir, I'm sorry- come in! I didn't expect any other visitors…"

"Ah, don't sweat it, Miss Farron," he said, grinning wearily. "Just thought I'd catch up with old friends. What's going on? Some kinda party?"

"Shit!" screamed Lenora, diving behind the couch. Lightning raised an eyebrow at her, before looking back at Rygdea, whose eyes widened in shock at the sight of her.

"Lenora?" He looked around, catching Spencer's eye. "Spence?"

"Don't kill me!" yelled Lenora from behind the couch. "It was all Anne's idea, she was the one who planted the centipedes in your apartment, I told her to get some ketchup for you in return but that bitch just wouldn't fucking listen and"-

Lightning slapped her upside the head. Rygdea nodded at her gratefully, causing Lenora to scowl and cross her arms.

"As you've probably figured out," he said, chuckling, "I grew up with these idiots. They're part of the whole reason I decided to revolt against the Sanctum in the first place."

"Who's the idiot?" muttered Lenora.

Rygdea ignored her. "I heard we've got more l'Cie now."

The room grew quiet; all eyes flitted from Rygdea, Lightning, Lenora, and Spencer back to Rygdea again. Lightning gave a curt nod in reply, while Lenora just lifted her black-brown bangs. Spencer pointed at his ankle.

"Sir, what's been going on?" asked Lightning. "Why are you really here?"

"Thought maybe you l'Cie could do me a favor," he said, with a light shrug. "We've gotta catch this damn murderer one of these days, and I'd prefer it to be sooner than later. I'm aware that Amodar ordered you not to get involved, Colonel Farron, but I think you're the man- sorry," he amended hastily, noticing her glare, "_woman _for the job. I suppose the idiots could help out, too, but that's up to them."

Lightning nodded, glad to finally have something to do. Serah, on the other hand, looked worried.

"Are you sure, Light? What if you get hurt again?"

"I'll be fine, Serah."

"You always say that," her sister grumbled, but she didn't object otherwise. Hope opened his mouth, but Lightning shot him a warning glance- she didn't need him getting involved again.

She had enough to blame herself for already.

* * *

"Light?"

"What?"

"I'm bored."

"Good for you."

…

"Sis?"

"Snow."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Snow pouted at his sister in law, which Lightning completely ignored. Nearby, Lebreau snorted at the sight, her gun hanging over her shoulder as it always was.

"You are pretty annoying, lover boy," she called.

Still, her leader did have a valid point. Since Lightning couldn't work directly with the Guardian Corps as she usually did, she was 'stuck with them', as she put it. As Maqui had predicted, she was being her normal, stick-up-her-ass self, except the tone with which she spoke was even more deadpanned than it used to be.

Lebreau snickered to herself when she remembered the shock and horror that had been present on Gadot and Yuj's faces when they found out just who they were working with. She wouldn't have been surprised if they pissed themselves. Then again, she couldn't deny the fact that she too had been scared out of her wits, and inexplicably relieved that she was stuck with Lightning, Snow, and Maqui instead of the other option.

But with Lightning telling them to stuff it every few minutes… it was boring.

They were on night duty, something that Lebreau regarded with vicious hatred, as it kept her from getting her beauty sleep. However, she'd thought that maybe this would be worth it, as they'd be watching out for the killer. So far, her expectations were crumbling quickly- there was not so much as a peep of a murder, despite the many street rats roaming about in the moonlight. Lightning didn't seem to be bothered by not sleeping; based on the dark circles under her eyes, Lebreau guessed that the soldier was used to it.

She elbowed Maqui when his eyelids began to droop. He shot her a reproachful look, but didn't nod off again.

"Nothing's going on…" groaned Snow again.

Lightning's eyebrow twitched. Lebreau was smart enough to recognize it as a warning sign of her approaching fury. She shot him a look, which he completely missed. She sighed inwardly; sometimes the leader of Nora could be a complete airhead.

"So," said Maqui, quietly enough that Lightning didn't react. "Whaddaya think will happen if the killer turns up where Gadot, Yuj, Lenora, and Spencer are?"

"They'll probably get claws buried in their throat," replied Lebreau lightly. "I know that Lenora was practically foaming at the mouth because Spencer wouldn't let her have any alcohol."

She noticed Maqui shiver, probably picturing Lenora standing there with a maniacal grin on her face, blood dripping from her TALON. The woman's height did not help, and Lebreau was hard pressed to keep from shuddering herself. The younger Raines just had to be insane; there was no other explanation.

"Geez," muttered Maqui. "I know that you and Gadot don't like it when you can't have alcohol," here she sent him a dirty look, "But that's just crazy. She's twice as bad in the morning because of her hangover, from what Spencer said."

The members of Nora had quickly realized the value of Spencer's friendship. If you were friends with Spencer, you were protected from Lenora's wrath. If not… well, then you were basically screwed.

It was at that moment that Lebreau's phone rang.

The sound rang out through the square, making Maqui and Snow flinch and glance nervously at Lightning. The soldier didn't even seem to notice; she simply kept staring straight ahead of her, a slight frown on her face. Lebreau knew that she was distracted enough, and she quickly answered the call.

"Yo!" shouted Gadot, making Lebreau wince and hold the phone several inches away from her ear. "You might wanna get over here!"

"Why?" she asked sharply, while gesturing frantically for Lightning's attention. "What's going on?"

"Not really, sure, but some shit's going down. The murderer's gotten into an abandoned building with Lenora and Yuj in pursuit. Spencer's been shot in the shoulder, I have to stay out with him. I don't know how their doing, but I still hear gunfire!"

"Got it." She snapped her phone shut without waiting for Gadot to answer her confirmation. "We have to move," she announced to the pink haired woman, who nodded quickly in response. Maqui groaned and muttered something that suspiciously sounded like, 'women'.

She'd kick his ass for it later.

"Aw, yeah!" said Snow, hitting his fists together. "Finally, some action."

* * *

Lenora held up her metallic arm, once again blocking the rain of bullets emerging from the lithe, black-garbed figure. She gritted her teeth, glad that the material she'd used to construct her unusual weapon was strong enough to block bullets. The fact that she could raise Steelguard every few minutes or so helped, but it wasn't yet powerful enough to prevent the shots from entering her skin.

Damn this assassin. That message was ringing through her mind every five seconds, as she could never get close enough without risking being shot at point-blank range. The Ravager role was not an option for her, as her sole offensive paradigm was a Commando. They were skilled with a gun, whoever they were, and they were capable of dodging Yuj's bullets with relative ease. Lenora let a string of curses loose as one of the bullets bounced off the wall beside her head.

The murderer had almost succeeded in killing an elderly politician, until Spencer had attempted (and failed) to use his 'harpoon', as he dubbed it. Lenora wouldn't take that kind of shit from him; it had taken her hours to make! However, the shot had missed its mark, but the assassin was stopped, and they'd given chase until they reached this building.

It was at that precise moment that Spencer was shot in the shoulder.

That mere fact made Lenora want to tear out the killer's entrails, piss all over them, and then present them to a Behemoth for dinner. Since he went unconscious from hitting his head on the cobblestones, he couldn't Cure himself, and she wasn't a Medic. She screeched several colorful choice words when her arm suddenly wouldn't move again, no matter how much she tried. Damn trains.

The gun of the killer was now aimed at her. Lenora responded in the only way she could at the moment.

"YOUR MOTHER WAS A FUCKING DONKEY WHO MARRIED A BASTARD WHO COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHETHER HE LIKED BANANAS OR RAISINS!"

It worked; the figure paused, allowing Lenora time to get her arm back in control and to raise it to block the imminent bullets. As the figure shot, she thought she heard them say, "What the hell?..."

She couldn't help herself; she began sniggering at the thought of being shot at by some random assassin who couldn't possibly beat her in a swearing contest. Lenora:1, Killer: 0.

"That's right, bitch!" she crowed, still laughing maniacally. Out of the corner of her eye, Yuj's eyebrows went up. "Can't shoot me, can you?"

The fact that more bullets bounced off her arm as a response only made her laugh even harder. The room was dark, and she could see the figure beginning to edge off to the right.

"Yuj!" she bellowed. "Escaping right, shoot there!"

The mercenary complied, still looking slightly freaked from her previous outburst. Lenora decided that she would have to risk getting shot; maybe, they'd treat her with as much reverence as they'd treated Lightning if she had a bullet wound.

…or they'd ignore her. The mental equivalent of giving her the finger. Yes, the latter was far more likely.

Lenora slashed across the chest of her opponent, causing them to take a step back to avoid it. Using the momentum to carry her forward, she was about to slash again, when her arm didn't react.

Again.

"Shit in a bucket!" she cursed, causing the person to once again cock their gun (and head) at her.

"You're a weird one," they muttered, voice barely intelligible. Lenora couldn't identify it; she was too busy realizing that their gun was pointed right between her eyes. Panicking, she swung her entire body around in a circle, her arm limply following and slamming into the assassin. She heard them gasp sharply, but they didn't back down, pointing their gun down at her foot.

Lenora braced herself, but no pain arrived. Instead, her assailant was promptly slugged in the face by a panting Snow.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Why are you asking?" she spat at him, causing him to take a step back. "Go and catch that fucker!"

When he only stood there, staring blankly, she swore again and turned around to where the murderer was already up, and running for the door. Yuj's bullets had no effect, as they shot at him, causing him to duck beside an old desk. Just as they reached the door, it banged open.

Lightning strode into the room, her Blazefire Saber in gun mode and pressed against murderer's forehead, an emotionless look on her face. They backed up, and were soon surrounded by Lenora, Maqui, Yuj, Snow, Lebreau, and Lightning.

Oddly, Lebreau seemed to know the person.

"You still owe me twenty gil for that drink."

The person, still garbed in black, gave a throaty chuckle in reply.

"That's right, I do, don't I?"

The person's voice came out weird. Lenora frowned; not even Rygdea had an accent like that. The only person who did…

…was Vanille.

Lenora's eyebrows contracted, recalling when Vanille had been pestering her to talk more about herself. When she'd basically told the girl to go spew her shit to someone who cared, the redhead Pulsian only seemed to take it in stride, talking and talking about her childhood. And she'd mentioned one other person, over and over again.

A certain feisty young woman by the name of Oerba Yun Fang.

Evidently, by the expressions on Lightning's and Snow's faces, they'd guessed as well. As they were probably speechless from shock, Lenora felt it prudent that she be the one to venture an opinion first.

"Well, you picked a shitty time to turn up. Now, before I fucking claw your face off, mind telling me what the hell you think you're doing?"

The other Pulsian woman pulled off her mask, revealing incredibly messy dark brown hair and jade shaded eyes. She turned to Lightning, whose face was still a mask, betraying nothing.

There was none of the usual humor or teasing in Fang's voice.

"Hello, Light."

* * *

It was all she could do to prevent hot tears from spilling out of her eyes.

Nothing helped. Not leaning on Hope's very comfortable shoulder, not a cup of hot cocoa made by Serah, not a rant from Lenora, not a piggy back ride from Snow, not a fatherly chat with Sazh.

Nothing could change the fact that Fang was in prison. Fang had killed all those people. And Vanille was devastated by it.

She was currently sitting with Hope in a waiting room, at the Guardian Corps headquarters. Lightning had convinced Amodar to allow her to visit Fang, and Hope came along with her- officially, for safety reasons. The real reason was that Vanille simply needed him to be there. If Fang couldn't be her pillar of support, then he certainly could.

A door opened, and Lightning strode into the room, her face dangerously calm. "She's ready to see you," she stated curtly.

Hope tightened his grip on her hand, a silent question: are you sure?

By way of answering, Vanille stood, swallowing her nervousness. Hope stood wordlessly with her, walking with her to the hall that contained the cells, not leaving her side once. He somewhat helped to steady her when the ground had been pulled from under her with the news of Fang.

Lightning wordlessly pulled open one of the doors, revealing a person garbed in an unfamiliar black outfit, but with an achingly familiar face.

"Do you want me to stay out here?" asked Hope gently, his green eyes filled with compassion. Vanille nearly burst into tears at how kind he was being.

He was so… different, now.

"Yes… please."

He stepped back, hand slipping out of hers. She turned around again, walking like a zombie into Fang's cell. The older woman sat on a bench, staring down at her bound hands, not even bothering to look up.

"Interrogation, already?" she murmured. Vanille swallowed, before giving a reply.

"Nope."

Fang's head snapped up; she instantly recognized the voice, and her face was plastered with shock. "Vanille?"

She stood up so fast that Vanille took a few steps back, in shock and fear. She back away from Fang quickly, which only served to make Fang more confused.

"What?" she demanded. "What's wrong?"

The facts that Fang had been missing ever since she woke up, that she was actually an assassin killing aristocrats, the fact that she'd been here all this time and had not even tried to find them, and the fact that she now expected Vanille to welcome her rushed in on her.

"What's _wrong?" _she cried. "What do you mean, 'What's wrong?' You weren't even there when I woke up, and now you go around and kill people? And you want to ask what's wrong?"

Fang's face softened. "Vanille…"

"And it's not like it's been easy, you know! Hope and his father are homeless, Serah's stressed, and Light's just… well, she's a living zombie! And you're going around and killing people for no reason! Lenora was right, you're out of your mind, and Etro, Fang, where have you been?"

Fang scowled darkly, an expression that Vanille had rarely seen and that, quite frankly, frightened her. "I was doing a favor…"

Vanille let the tears fall now, noticing Fang panic at this sight. "Hey, come on now," said Fang hurriedly. When Vanille ignored her, continuing to cry, she sighed.

"Look," she stated. "All I can say is I'm sorry. I don't know if that'll work, and I can't tell you why I killed those people, but that's what I can do… for what it's worth."

The red haired girl still cried, but in silence. Then, Fang opened her mouth.

"Remember that pink gorgonopsid we once found?"

Vanille looked at her, and the tiniest of smiles appeared on her face.

"Uh-huh," she whispered. "And we healed it, because it had a broken leg."

"Yup," replied Fang, grinning a bit. "Mum and Dad went berserk when they found out about that one, eh?"

"Oh, yeah!" cried Vanille, a full-fledged smile appearing on her face. "And they made us sit facing the wall for an hour, but then we secretly still went to help out that gorgonopsid, and then… hey!"

Fang raised an eyebrow at her accusing stare.

"You're making me feel better." Vanille pouted. "That's not supposed to happen. I'm supposed to be mad at you!"

"And how's that workin' out for ya?" asked Fang, brushing a few of her bangs out of her eyes.

"…not so great…" Vanille could hardly believe it. She'd intended to tell Fang that she hated her, that they could never be friends again, but she'd instead forgiven her so easily. Hope was probably wondering what was going on by now.

Fang's smile turned a little sad. "Vanille, I promise that what I'm doing is for the best. I'm doing everything to help you and the rest of New Bodhum. You just have to trust me on that one."

Vanille found herself nodding. Yes, she trusted Fang- she'd trusted her longer than anyone else, always. And Fang had not once betrayed that trust; she'd always tried to help her, to give her aid when she needed it.

"So…" Fang's grin turned slightly evil, and Vanille felt apprehension again. "Hope came with you, right?"

"Yes," she answered cautiously. She was beginning to get that feeling- the one that Fang's questions had ulterior motives, and that she had something planned. Realizing what her Pulsian friend might be insinuating, she blushed scarlet- something that Fang did not miss.

"Aww, look at that!" Fang practically yelled for all the world to hear. "My little Vanille's got a _crush!"_

"Fang!" hissed Vanille, glancing anxiously at the door to the prison cell. Sure enough, Hope's face was peering through the window, one eyebrow raised.

"Ah, you can let 'im in, can't you?" asked Fang, the evil grin not once leaving her face. Gingerly, Vanille nodded, opening the door as though it might burn her at a moment's notice. Hope stepped in quickly, looking between Fang and Vanille with a look of confusion on his face. She felt the color drain from her, as she realized just what Fang was up to.

"Vanille, could I have a quick work with Hope alone?" asked Fang, her voice altogether too sweet. Hope looked slightly disturbed by this, his green eyes flashing with warning as he turned to Vanille. She laughed a bit nervously.

"It'll be fine," she said, trying her best to sound reassuring. "She doesn't bite."

Several minutes later found Vanille standing outside Fang's cell, shifting her foot nervously from side to side. When Hope finally emerged, his face was even paler than before, and his eyes were wide.

"Fang!" called Vanille admonishingly. "What did you do?"

"Nothin' important!" yelled Fang back. "Just threatened to rip out his entrails and feed them to an uridimmu. That's about it."

* * *

_"You haven't had a chance to live again."_

Lightning inhaled sharply, sitting straight up-like a board- at the same time. A sheen of sweat coated her face and neck, and her hands were shaking again. She almost reached for one of her caffeine pills on the bedside table, but stopped herself just in time, knowing that she couldn't allow herself to depend on them. Even so, she had needed one the other day; it took sheer force of will to even be able to take it.

The words that had just rung in her ears, clear as day in her mind, had been spoken by a sad looking Nora Estheim. The woman had turned up this time, trying to explain that Fang didn't mean any harm, but at the same time accusing Lightning of 'killing to the point of no return'. Lightning knew that to be true- the blood of hundreds was on her hands, still visible despite the fact that they'd been lathered with soap and water for years.

Groggy, she sat up- realizing that she was seated in an extremely uncomfortable chair, across the room from a certain Pulse-accented woman, who was currently being questioned for the crimes she committed.

Or at least, she should've been questioned.

"Had a good nap, Sunshine?" asked Fang, now looking somewhat wary. "You sure looked like ya needed it."

Nothing was said.

"Wot? I thought I was the one not talking."

Trying to retain as much of her composure as possible, Lightning stood up, dusting herself off with dignity, and once again chose not to give Fang an answer. Instead, she stared straight into the Pulsian's eyes, causing the woman opposite her to fidget uncomfortably.

"Why have you killed four important members of the Sanctum government?"

"For the last _frickin' _time," said Fang, exasperatedly, "I can't tell you that. I promise it was to help us all, why can't you just take my word for it?"

Lightning bit her lip as a thousand answers rushed to her mind. _Because too many other people have gone back on their word, yourself included. Because if I don't find out what's going on, more people are going to get hurt. Because if you don't tell me, the Guardian Corps may order me to use torture on you. I don't want to do that. I really don't…_

But she said none of those things. Instead she replied, in a dull tone of voice, "Because I've been ordered to find out."

"Oh, for the love of…" Fang ran her fingers through her hair. "Listen to me, Light. We're friends; you can't deny that, even now. Hell, in another life, we might've been sisters. We're family, all the way. Family trusts one another, but you don't seem to get that."

Lightning ignored her preaching. "Are you working alone?"

Here, Fang swallowed thickly- Lightning saw the bulge in her throat move. "…no."

"Who are you working with?"

At that, Fang finally went off. Her eyes blazed, and she stood up, her pose full of pride.

"Look, you washed up has-been soldier!" she yelled. "I told you that I _can't tell you! _What the hell is wrong with you? The world's moving on, Light, but you can't seem to come to grips with that fact. You'd better find a way to move along with it, or you'll be left in the dust. Everyone else is trying to cope with the challenges that this new world presents us with, but you- you're freaking fading away! You think you're the only one?"

Fang's words stirred something within Lightning that she hadn't felt in a long time- rage. Something began to burn inside her, heating up with every sentence Fang intoned. The floodgates of her inner panic and pain were creaking open, releasing the torrent inside her.

She snapped.

"Of course not." She meant to yell it, but it was as though her vocal cords had lost all strength, and it came out in a whisper. She looked down at her combat boots, noting how their brown and the gray of the floor seemed to clash at that moment. "Every 'washed up has-been soldier' feels that way. We carry the weight of the dead on our shoulders. We wade through rivers of blood. We give pity to others, and keep none for ourselves."

Fang looked disgusted.

"What happened to you?" she demanded. "What happened to the fierce, determined fighter I knew? What happened to… Light, are you _crying?" _Shock came over her features.

She was. The usually stoic soldier was not afraid to admit it, but she was mourning. In Fang's presence, she could allow herself to show remorse- to grieve for the lives she had taken, for the lives that were saved but were heartbroken, for Raines, for Nora, for her parents, for the enslaved fal'Cie- even for herself. For the very first time, she felt that she could empathize with the beings who had made her a l'Cie. They were lost without their parent.

Claire Farron had never felt more lost in her life.

"Hey…" Fang took a few cautious steps forward, well aware of the soldier's temper. Lightning did not move or respond in any way, but welcome the sudden warmth when Fang wrapped her arms around her tightly. Knowing that the Gran Pulsian wouldn't care, she buried her face in her friend's shoulder and continued to let the tears flow.

"I don't get you," muttered Fang, rubbing Lightning's back gently. "Was it all a façade? Just to make Serah and the rest of us feel safe? Either way, you shouldn't be going through this, Light. I'm so, _so sorry. _This is my fault."

At those words, Lightning opened her eyes again, a tiny frown forming on her face. Carefully, she stepped out of the embrace, suddenly feeling angry again.

"Don't you _dare _blame yourself, Oerba Yun Fang," she growled warningly. "Because what happened to me was my choice, and only mine. I did this; I can undo it."

"Yeah, but…" Fang didn't shrink under Lightning's glare. "You shouldn't have to go it alone, should you? I mean… look, I'm just gonna come out and say it."

"I'm listening." Lightning knew she shouldn't be the one judging anyway; her reputation said that much.

Fang took a deep breath. "While I was in crystal stasis… well, you know how it's like you're asleep, but you can still think a bit? Well, I thought a lot, and I think I've figured it out. At least, it made sense in my mind."

"Spit it out." True to her nature, Lightning was getting impatient.

"Look, I think the fact that you killed Raines messed you up. Am I right?" Fang asked, now looking hesitant.

Lightning felt her face go stony at his name, but some unknown force made her nod. "It was something I had to do," she said, her voice empty. "He was an obstacle in our way."

"Spoken like a true l'Cie…" muttered Fang, but then she paused. Her vibrant emerald orbs became slits. "Wait a second, you're lying. I know you too well. Your voice shook."

It was all Lightning could do not to break down bawling at that moment. Fang was just too sharp; few people could break through her defenses the same way she could. She could practically see the gears clicking together in Fang's head, and dreaded the next moment when Fang spoke.

Outrage flared in her friend's eyes. "That goddamned bastard!" shouted Fang. "_He _did it, didn't he? He _made_ you kill him! That time before we rescued Vanille and Sazh, he"- She broke off, suspicion and shock once again appearing.

Lightning flinched when Fang pointed an accusing finger at her. "You knew, is that right? You _knew _that he was going to betray us, all along! You agreed, you promised to kill him!"

Lightning sensed that the interview was coming to an end. She turned away from the Gran Pulsian, unable to bear the accusatory look Fang was giving her.

"I'm going to keep looking," she stated loudly, cutting Fang off on her rant. "I'm going to keep searching until I find out exactly what's going on. This time, you won't stop me, Miss I-Shot-Lightning-Farron."

She glanced at Fang out of the corner of her eye for her reaction.

"Shoulda known a bullet wouldn't slow you down…" muttered Fang. Then her gaze became wary and full of warning. "Listen to me, Claire." Lightning flinched inwardly at the use of her real name. "For your own safety, stay out of this. Don't get involved. Leave New Bodhum- leave this mess behind- while you still can. Please. Better yet, take everyone with you."

"So I should just abandon the rest of the Cocoon citizens to whatever's coming?"

"Yes. I wouldn't blame you. No one will."

Lightning stared at Fang, hard, for a long time. Her eyes narrowed when Fang unflinchingly returned her stare, an equal amount of determination in her eyes. She was the first to break their gaze.

"I can't do that," she said quietly.

Fang exhaled, closing her eyes, as Lightning turned to leave. The prisoner's last words only made her pause for a moment.

"You loved Raines, didn't you? He ripped out your heart and never gave it back."

Lightning exited the room.

* * *

Fear.

The traits of a leader were many- courage, determination, patience, willpower, confidence, and wisdom were many. Most would agree that fear should not be among that list.

Rygdea had been taught that fear was, in reality, one of the most important. Fear made you cautious, careful, and more willing to take a step back and view everything on a larger scale. The very person who had taught him this- Cid Raines- was now dead, by his own gunshot.

Still, this fear was irrational. It was too immense, too suffocating, to be healthy for any proper leader. The Primarch of New Bodhum was afraid of the unknown.

It was something that haunted every single human being alive, whether they wanted it or not. 'People fear what they do not understand'- Rygdea couldn't remember where he'd heard it, but he knew that it was true. Everyone living in New Bodhum walked with an uncertain pace, wondering when the next attack would be, who would be murdered next, what crazy event would occur next. He'd been wondering the same thing himself.

And, in many ways, he was guilty. He should've been inspiring confidence in his people. His friends- if he could even call them that- all knew, along with himself, that he wasn't the right person for this job. He was one for following (and maybe bending) orders, but he never exactly had a heart for giving them.

He had tried to convince Amodar several times now to take his post. He was almost certain that the man would make an excellent Primarch.

Each and every time, the General would firmly shake his head, saying his place was the Security Regiment. Colonel Farron had also refused, stating that she wasn't the inspirational type.

Currently, he sat in an office that he had never once intended to be his. Lenora and Spencer were in there too, having just finished explaining how they'd apprehended Oerba Yun Fang, the one who had been killing many of his advisors. He still couldn't quite believe that the woman had been the one responsible- when he knew Fang, he remembered her as a good-humored, sarcastic young woman. Very free-spirited.

"Oi, Prim-ass," said Lenora, waving her hand in front of his face. He grinned tiredly at the new-found nickname of his. "Got any booze?"

He jerked his head, understanding her desire. "Cabinet on the left."

The unusually tall woman stood, making her way over to the cupboard and cursing when her left arm did nothing at all. Spencer sighed a bit before standing up and opening it for her, ignoring her indignant screech of, "I can do it myself!"

He watched with interest as Lenora ripped the cork out with her teeth and spat it to the side, like the way he imagined a pirate would. She was soon guzzling it down, which he knew couldn't be healthy. Spencer quickly intervened, convincing her to slow her gulping.

"You really gotta get rid of that addiction," commented Rygdea.

Lenora opened one eye and glared at him.

"How long have you been doing it?" he asked. "Been about four years or so, right?"

"Something like that," said Spencer, rolling his eyes. "She claims that it helps her focus on her work. Never was a good liar."

"So, ya do it to keep from feeling bad, do you?" asked Rygdea. "Brigadier General Raines thought about it too, ya know."

That got a much more entertaining response; Lenora sprayed rum onto all of his papers, something that made him just a bit annoyed, but otherwise it was funny to watch her wheeze for air.

"… the hell?" she gasped.

"He didn't know how you were, if you were even alive," continued Rygdea. His gaze slid to hers. "Food for thought, Lenora. Anyone up for a game o' cards?"

* * *

Fang sat in the cell, darkness now closing in around her. She felt it like panic, clawing at the edges of her mind, whispering insistently that she had to get out. She couldn't stay here- that much, she was certain of. Her eyes closed and she tried to steady her breathing, the get the sick feeling out of the pit of her stomach.

No matter how she tried, she failed again and again.

The Pulsian woman knew that the balance of her world hung by a thread. If no one could stop the impending threat, they were all done for.

Fang did not want to die. She was shaking, as the claustrophobia closed in again.

She had to get out.

They all had to get out.

* * *

Author's note: A bit shorter than my last few chapters. So, now I have to explain that Lenora and Spencer both have accents like Rygdea's, since the three grew up together. Rygdea, much like Cid, was captured while they were playing their game of stealing; his upbringing in the slums was the reason why he disliked the Sanctum so much. Questions:

1. If anyone is a fan of Soul Eater, do you know the song "Salve Maria-Peace Be With You"? I was thinking of that when I wrote this. I think it fits rather well.

2. Yup, Fang's back. Like everyone else, her life's a bit messed up right now. Why would that be?

3. Next chapter, the world goes to the dogs. What do you think I mean by that?

4. I'll try to feature Sazh a bit more in the next chapter, but I can't really think of anything to do with him. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading, and thank you to all my reviewers so far. Please continue to review, it inspires my writing. Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4: The Moving Tempest

_"Meet your new roommate."_

_ Cid Raines didn't even bother to glance up as the door to his miniscule room was opened, and someone was thrown inside. There was little point in speaking with whatever new recruit the Guardian Corps had thrown into the military academy, seeing as how no matter who they were, especially if they were from the slums as he was, they quickly became used to their situation. He felt a twinge of guilt; he'd been caught on purpose, wanting to maybe rise higher in the army and give back to the people of Cocoon, but he'd had to leave behind his sister in the process. _

_ He told himself that Lenora would be fine- she was strong and utterly independent. Most likely his sister would be insulted that he even considered she would have trouble on her own in the first place. _

_ Unless she was taken to be trained in the academy… then he would never forgive himself. _

_ "Ah, hell," muttered his new roommate, where they pulled themselves up off the cold tile floor. The door was closed by one of the instructors at the school- whoever was in charge of finding accommodations for the newbies. _

_ Cid jerked slightly as the voice spoke again. "At least we get fed here…"_

_ He turned his head, really looking at the newcomer this time. Unkempt brown hair, unshaved stubble, a half-weary, half-amused expression- it was unmistakably his old friend, Rygdea. The boy- now in his teenage years, at least- didn't take long to notice Cid staring at him, and he stared back. _

_ Then he jumped up. "Holy crap!" he yelped, stumbling backwards onto his own cot. "It's a ghost!"_

_ Cid just sighed, massaging his temples. "I'm not a ghost, Rygdea. I'm as real as you or the instructors here."_

_ "Damn," muttered Rygdea, shaking his head. He eyed Cid, a slightly relieved look on his face. "How long have you been here, then? Since you got caught? That was about three years ago, I think."_

_ "Yes," was Cid's calm response. "One more year, and I'll graduate."_

_ When Rygdea did not immediately reply, he moved his gaze back to his new roommate. His friend was currently regarding him as though he were some type of fungus. _

_ "You nuts or something?" asked Rygdea. "Guess it really does run in the family. Why would you want to graduate?"_

_ "I have my reasons," was Cid's obvious I'm-not-going-to-tell-you-yet answer. "And just what do you mean by, 'it runs in the family?'"_

_ "You honestly don't wanna know," muttered Rygdea, avoiding looking Cid in the eye. Cid felt his curiosity rise; this had something to do with Lenora. He didn't completely want to walk out on his past, and he was intrigued to know what had been occurring back in the slums. _

_ "Lenora's a rising mechanic star," began Rygdea, sensing Cid's silent plea for information. "She's already taken on at least a hundred jobs, and a bunch dealt with medical whatnot, prosthetics and all that. Got a more important assignment recently from a major company; I wouldn't be surprised if she got out soon."_

_ 'Got out'; the term used when, by some miracle, a soul managed to escape from that place and actually go somewhere with their life. Cid was one, Rygdea was another, and now it looked as though Lenora might be a third. _

_ Despite this good news, the look on Rygdea's face was grim. _

_ "What's wrong, then?"_

_ "She's an alcoholic, Raines."_

_ For a few moments, Cid could only stare at Rygdea, his ears not fully understand what his friend was saying. "She binge drinks regularly. Wakes up with the worst possible hangovers I've ever seen; you don't want to be around her then. She's also addicted to coffee, claiming that it helps with the hangovers." The teen ruffled up his hair a bit, looking uncomfortable. "I'm not good at helping others, Raines; we were lucky enough to have Spence around to keep her together. It's slow, but I think he'll get her back to normal in time."_

_ "Spence? As in, Spencer Cartwright?" Cid frowned. Lenora had not been fond of 'the midget-ass', as she had dubbed him, for as long as he could remember. Now she was allowing him to help her?_

_ "Hey, surprised me too, but the guy took pity on her after he found her slumped in an alley. She just can't seem to get rid of him."_

_ Cid returned his stare to the dull colored ceiling, his head reeling, even though he didn't show it. It wasn't uncommon for citizens living underground to become drunks and waste away their lives, but it had never struck him that such a fate would befall someone close to him, least of all Lenora. His sister had even made a point of constantly mocking people who consumed too much booze._

_ "This is my fault, isn't it?" he murmured, half to himself. _

_ Rygdea looked at him critically. "Guess that that depends. Lenora claims that it's not, says she doesn't give a damn about you, but if you ask me yeah, it is. She won't even say your name anymore, and she only gives people her first name. She ain't the likeable troublemaker she used to be, that's for damn sure. Cranky as a lady with menopause, that's what she is."_

_ Cid remained silent, taking in this information as calmly and collectively as possible. He closed his eyes, knowing that Rygdea couldn't be lying. His friend (if he had a right to call him that) didn't over exaggerate. As for their current situation, he would help Rygdea escape- if he wanted to- but he was staying. His mind had been made up about that a long time ago. _

_ "So what's your angle, then?"_

_ Cid reopened his eyes and cocked a brow at Rygdea, who was frowning at him. "I know you, Raines. You've got some kinda ambition, or reason for this. It's not like you to just want power, though you seem to fit in well here. You ain't even got an accent anymore."_

_ "It was to gain respect," was Cid's lofty reply. _

_ "Yeah? And why do you need respect, anyhow?"_

_ Cid finally stood up from his cot, not looking at his old friend. He strode over to the window, examining the view of the Hanging Edge below him. The academy had been placed nearby, as the Hanging Edge was thought to be an excellent training ground for new soldiers. He hadn't trusted anyone, not one person, with his goals since arriving, as he had noticed that many of the students were rich kids with ridiculous ambitions. _

_ His ambitions were just as ridiculous, but slightly more beneficial. Rygdea, of all people, would understand, having grown up in the same environment. _

_ He turned around again, staring his friend in the eye. _

_ "I want to change the world."_

* * *

Spencer could only stare at Lenora, who was curled up in the fetal position on one of the hard wooden chairs in her shop, grumbling and swearing under her breath. He felt sadness well up inside him again, wishing that she weren't so callous and harsh with herself. He knew the real reason why she constantly drank herself into oblivion: she held herself accountable for much of what happened in her life, and she didn't want to.

Wordlessly, he handed her another cup of coffee. Across the room, Lebreau eyed her thoughtfully. After the mechanic stole another bottle of rum from the Primarch's office, Rygdea had tiredly asked Spencer to get someone else besides himself to help handle her. He had been surprised, to say the least, when Lebreau volunteered after meeting up with her on his way back to Lenora's place.

He watched Lebreau cross the room, grasping a bucket and holding it in front of Lenora while the tall woman vomited into it again. "Steady there," murmured the black haired woman, grasping her shoulder. Lenora wiped her mouth on her sleeve when she finished, taking another gulp of the coffee.

"You're good at this," commented Spencer.

"I used to be a bartender," called Lebreau, heading into the bathroom to clean out the bucket again. "I've seen this happen a hundred times over. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Thanks."

"Normally, I'd say 'you're welcome', but I'd rather not do this again," said Lebreau lightly. "I will if I have to, though; I can't believe you've been helping her with this by yourself all of these years."

"Spencer's crappy at holding buckets," mumbled Lenora, taking another sip of the caffeinated drink. "He makes good coffee, though."

Lebreau sighed, coming over to Spencer. "It's almost sad," she whispered. "How long has she been like this?"

"A few years," replied Spencer. "The only reason we're friends is because of it. I found her in an alley one day, completely wasted. She used to hate me; called me names a lot."

"Some people would call that bullying," said Lebreau.

"Yeah, I s'pose," he stated, shrugging. Spencer found himself staring at Lenora again, her curtain of dark hair partially hiding her face from view. He had been nudging her in the right direction for years, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Lenora was just too headstrong, refusing to listen to anybody. Maybe if Cid hadn't 'gotten caught', none of this would have happened.

But if he hadn't… then maybe he wouldn't be as close to her now.

Lebreau seemed to sense his misgivings. "Maybe…" she hesitated slightly. "Maybe it's time you were more assertive."

He jerked slightly, whipping around to look at her. "Huh?"

"You know, tell her what's what," she stated, shrugging.

He stared at her blankly for a few moments, before looking away. Be more assertive? Could he really be more assertive? Did Lenora deserve to be pushed that far? She was already much more fragile that she appeared to be; maybe that wasn't such a good idea. He didn't want to hurt her again.

And yet… looking at her now, bent over and in pain, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration at her. She had not made one single ounce of effort to pick up the pieces of her messed up life. It was about time that she took charge of herself, and made the choice to become a person with more morale. He felt the conflict within himself grow as the indecision became more apparent.

He forced himself to nod at Lebreau. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

The wind was stirring around Lightning. She felt her red cape whip around her waist; impatiently, she pushed it back behind her. Her head was tilted upward in a silent vigil, the crystal pillar in front of her. It gleamed in the morning sunshine, a thousand colors dancing from it, reflecting down onto New Bodhum.

Once, she would stand here for awhile, honoring the sacrifice Fang and Vanille had made for the people of Cocoon. Now, she wasn't entirely sure why she was here again; she just knew that she wanted to be here.

Maybe it was where she felt the closest to those she had lost. To everything that had been taken from her.

Lightning placed a hand on the ice cold crystal, closing her eyes. Everyone still gone appeared around her, smiling slightly. They said nothing, only offering silent encouragement. Cid, Nora, and she saw her parents.

She had never been more grateful that, in her focusing on caring for Serah, she hadn't forgotten them.

Her mother was a beautiful woman, with the same distinct rose colored hair, falling behind her in waves. Her eyes were more of a hazel color, and Lightning felt an ache rising from her at the sight of her mother, who had never once failed to comfort either of her daughters when they needed it.

Her father was tall and proud, with dirty blond hair, and the same sapphire eyes that Lightning and Serah had inherited. Always giving advice, always proud, always gentle- that was his way.

She was clinging to these people for support, even though they were long gone. She knew that the nightmares were a product of her own inner demons, and that they were nothing to fear, really. They were still right there, where they'd always been.

_It'll be okay,_ she found herself saying. _I can do this. I can help the people I care about. I won't let you down- any of you._ At this last part, she couldn't help but glance over at Cid. He nodded at her, the tiniest of smiles appearing.

Her parents both continued looking at her, caring in their eyes.

_We know._

Lightning's own eyes snapped open. She found herself staring at the crystal in front of her, and slowly she drew her hand away. There was no more time for dwelling on the past; she had people counting on her. Drawing herself up to full height, she pivoted around, straightening her back. Already, her steps felt lighter.

Lightning Farron- maybe even Claire Farron- was back. Knowing that those people believed that she wasn't completely lost made her realize what a fool she'd been. If she didn't start to pull herself together, then no one else would. She would complete her Focus, and anyone who tried to stop her would find her Blazefire Saber in their face.

Her resolution set, she began moving at from the pillar, back towards the Guardian Corps headquarters. She needed to talk to Fang.

At that precise moment, a distant roar echoed, followed by a rumbling explosion.

* * *

"Daddy?"

Sazh glanced down at his son, who was staring up at him, head tilted to the side in a curious fashion. He picked up Dajh and placed him on his knee, chuckling a bit at the way Dajh grinned lopsidedly.

"What's up, Dajh?"

"Why's Aunt Lightning unhappy?"

The question brought Sazh up short. He should've known that his son was too perceptive to miss something like Lightning's behavior, despite his young age. Dajh had always been that perceptive; it was just the way he was. He probably got it from his mother.

"Well, you see…" he began, not really sure how to answer. He was confident that Lightning wouldn't want him spilling all of her misgivings to his son, but at the same time he knew that she was fond of Dajh (who wasn't?). "She lost someone she cared about."

"Oh. You mean like how we lost Mommy?" Dajh saddened considerably at his own words. Sazh panicked slightly, his mind kicking into overdrive on how to cheer his son up. But instead, the lame words of, "Yeah, kinda like that," came out.

"Poor Aunt Light…" whispered Dajh. Then, he perked up considerably. "But that person's still with her! Doesn't she know that?"

Sazh started. "What d'you mean, Dajh?"

"You told me that Mommy can still see us, even though we can't see her. Isn't that the same thing with Lightning's friend?"

For a few moments, Sazh could only stare at Dajh, his mouth moving without any noise coming out. Then, he grinned widely.

"Dajh," he said, ruffling his son's hair proudly, "You are one smart boy. Maybe you should tell her that, eh?"

"Okay! Where is she?" Dajh slipped off of his dad's knee and began to run around the square, ignoring the strange stares of the people who saw him pass by. Sazh smiled to himself as he watched his son go on his quest to find Lightning, letting him be.

"Don't go too far!" he called. Then he cursed himself for being stupid. This was Dajh; the kid had a bit of a problem with wandering off.

Before he could head off to find his son, however, a voice stopped him.

"Hey, old man." Lenora Raines plopped down on the bench beside him, looking 100 percent sober. Spencer wasn't far behind, joining them quickly. "Haven't seen you around lately. How's Dajh?"

"Fine," replied Sazh with a shrug. He was surprised that Lenora wasn't cursing every five words, for once.

Spencer answered his unasked questioned. "She just got over a hangover," he explained. "She's a little worn out."

"Yeah," said Lenora. An annoyed look appeared in her gray eyes, and she jerked her head at Spencer and scowled. "Could you tell this idiot to stop nagging me?"

"Hold on," said Spencer warningly. "This is between you and me."

"Like hell it is," snapped Lenora, standing up again. She began pacing around in front of them. Sazh looked between the two, wondering what he'd missed. Spencer did seem to be more agitated than usual, and Lenora's attitude mirrored his.

"Stop avoiding the subject," said Spencer, irritated. He stood up as well, looking her straight in the eye. The midget was fierce, despite his size. He ignored Lenora's dark look. "It's time you started getting your life under control. One of these days, the drinking is going to kill you."

"Oh, yeah!" remarked Lenora sarcastically. Sazh noticed that her voice was loud, causing several people to stop and openly listen in on the conversation. "You act like I care. You act like you care. Hell, you act like anyone cares- which they don't. Just drop it, midget-ass."

"Don't call me that," said Spencer quickly.

That simple phrase seemed to shock Lenora for a moment, but then she was back at it. "I'll call you what I want!" she yelled. "Now fucking leave me alone! I'll do what I want, and you can't do anything about it!"

Spencer began trembling slightly. Sazh had never seen the young man like this, angry and out of control. He seemed to snap.

"Hey, now…" he said, trying dismally to reign in the conversation. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"You think everything's just got to be hell in your life!" shouted Spencer, his face turning red from rage. "You think you can drink yourself miserable, and then throw it all away. Well, you know what I think?" He stormed closer to Lenora, though she stood her ground. "I think that it's _about fucking time_ you took control! Forgive your brother for what he did, and quit the drinking. I am not about to let you keep doing this to yourself!"

"Oh, really?" screamed Lenora. She looked ready to tear her hair out. "Forgive HIM? Are you nuts? That man had the balls to go and get caught. I'll go to hell before I forgive him for anything he's done. If he showed up, right here, right now, I would kill him before he had the chance to say hello!"

Sazh could see the danger signs. Lenora's forehead was glowing silver, and a dark green was showing near Spencer's ankle. Knowing that it was inevitable, he began shouting too.

"Everyone, get away now!" he roared. "Dajh, where are you? Dajh!"

"I'm sick of you freaking stepping on everyone who cared for you!" hollered Spencer, before he yelled out in pain, collapsing and clutching his ankle. A circle of emerald appeared on the ground around him, and Sazh saw him grit his teeth.

At the same time, Lenora let out an incoherent scream, spittle flying from her mouth as she let loose a string of curses, before an inhuman shriek emitted from her. She fell to one knee, clutching her head while a silver imprint appeared on the cobblestones.

Citizens were finally beginning to understand the enormity of what was happening. Shouts and alarmed cries rang out and people began running from the two l'Cie. Sazh himself was panicking, calling for his son, but Dajh was nowhere to be found. He turned back to the two feuding friends, watching in horror as Eidolons arose from the circles.

From Spencer's came a female-looking woman, tall and with rather drapy wear. It was forest green, and her hair appeared to be a tangle of branches. Sazh stared at the knarled, wooden staff she held, which was engulfed in some sort of emerald light. Her skin was a deep brown.

Lenora's was clearly male, and appeared to be some sort of amphibious creature. His feet were webbed, as was one of his hands. The other hand was unique, in much the same way her arm was. He watched while it morphed into some sort of a cannon, which the eidolon prepared to fire at its opponent, which happened to be Spencer. The Eidolon's eyes were slits.

Both Lenora and Spencer had their respective weapons out- Lenora with her TALON, Spencer with his harpoon. Their Eidolons were set in offensive stances. Everyone who had previously been running froze for a moment, staring in awe of the incredible creatures.

Then, Lenora's Eidolon fired, and chaos reigned.

Screams erupted as a violent stream of water hit Spencer's Eidolon, causing it to tumble backward and smash into a nearby building. At the same time, Lenora threw herself at Spencer, lashing out with her weapon. He cast a Protect just in time to block her attack, but Sazh still saw him wince.

"Hey!" he shouted, his eyes wide. Since when did Eidolons fight each other? Neither Lenora nor Spencer seemed to hear him, locked in combat as they were. Realizing that this wasn't going to be a piece of cake, he cast around frantically for Dajh once more, once to get hit by a wave from Lenora's Eidolon. The thing was clearly a water attributed monster.

A green orb of light flew from the staff of Spencer's Eidolon. It appeared beautiful- until it exploded.

Sazh yelled as the force of the blast threw him like a rag doll across the square, along with those who had not yet fled. Lenora was knocked into him, and they both dove out of the way just in time to avoid a fatal stab from Spencer's Eidolon. Spencer himself fired with his harpoon, which tore out several cobblestones.

"Come on!" yelled Sazh, grabbing Lenora's shoulder. "Get a grip, will you?"

The next thing he knew, something heavy collided with his face, causing him to go flying once again. He realized dimly that Lenora's Eidolon had knocked him away- neither of the creatures wanted him interfering.

He rolled to a crouching position, watching almost helplessly while Lenora's Eidolon rained several punches down on Spencer's, who retaliated by viciously whacking it in the face with her staff. Lenora now threw Ruin after Ruin at Spencer, which he ducked gracefully. His Eidolon paused to send an Aeroga at Lenora.

Only it didn't end.

The tornado roared and whirled, causing debris to fly every which way; all Sazh could do was flatten himself to the ground, praying that nothing hit him. Screams rang out as several people were thrown about by the whirlwind. Lenora crouched in a Steelguard position, her face a mask of concentration.

Her Eidolon leapt up, a miniature blue orb appearing in its hand. The orb was thrown down into the vortex, causing the world around Sazh to shake while the tornado exploded, showering rain water on everyone in the vicinity.

The two Eidolons faced one another, no expression on their faces. Likewise, Lenora and Spencer faced one another. Both parties, Sazh now realized, were preparing to deliver the final blow.

Fear gripped him, as he realized that they were going to tear apart the entire city.

Lenora's Eidolon brought both of its hands in front of it, and its entire body began glowing, charging with energy. All of the water that had just been released from it began moving back towards it. Sazh felt a slight breeze, realizing that Spencer's Eidolon was doing the same, only this time gather air from it.

He closed his eyes, but the noise forced them to open again.

He watched in utter terror while the two destructive forces exploded outwards- A tidal wave of water rose, threatening to engulf everything around it, while wind made his world turn dark as everything threatened to be torn up from the very earth itself.

Something dark fell from the sky, landing in between the two just as the two attacks were about to converge. He heard a strong female voice shout, "ENOUGH!"

Then lightning flashed before him, the electricity surging outwards in a shockwave that overpowered the other attacks, causing the entire world to blacken in comparison to its brightness. He shielded his eyes, hearing shouts of fear go up around him.

The last thing he caught before he passed out was a flash of pink hair at Odin's feet.

* * *

Fang looked up in surprise when someone who was not Lightning or Vanille entered her cell.

"You've got company," said the guard shortly, before two unusual looking people entered the room. Fang recognized both: one was the woman who had aided in her capture, with the metal arm. The other was the short guy, who'd tried to shoot some kind of harpoon at her. Both of them looked like they were about to faint from exhaustion.

The guard left without another word.

"What happened to you lot?" asked Fang, raising both eyebrows. "No offense, but ya kinda look like you've been tossed around by a couple of Behemoths and then got crapped on."

Lenora just shot her a dirty look, before carefully guiding Spencer over to the bench, where they both sat down. Fang stared at them for a few moments, before she just shrugged.

A few moments, later, the queen of angst herself stormed into the cell, the furious look on her face making Fang want to go hide in a corner. Neither Spencer or Lenora looked up at her entrance.

"Are you two insane?" Lightning said it as calmly as she could, but Fang could see that her friend was shaking with rage. She looked between her and the two new convicts, utterly confused.

"Did I miss something?" she asked. They ignored her.

"Of all the places to summon your Eidolon for the first time, you had to do it _in the middle of the city?"_

Lenora raised her head and shot Lightning an even dirtier look. Fang's mouth dropped open; they had done that? She had to admit, she was impressed. Summoning one Eidolon was one thing, but summoning both of them at the same time was something else.

"Now Sazh is unable to find Dajh, just because you two couldn't hold back your tempers for once in your lives! You"-

"For the love of crap, just shut up!" snarled Lenora. Her eyes blazed as she tightened her hold on Spencer. "He's sleeping."

Fang raised an eyebrow, while Lightning looked taken aback. The pink haired woman took one step forward, and then another. Fang noticed that Lenora looked more protective of Spencer with each step Light took. She wondered if maybe she ought to stand as well, just to keep the two out of trouble. She saw Light take in several deep breaths, fighting to stay in control of her anger.

"Well, they do look pretty beat, Light," Fang stated. "Maybe ya outta let 'em rest first, then get questioned later."

Lightning, still angry but beginning to calm down, just nodded tightly and whirled, preparing to exit the room. Just as she reached the cell door, however, Lenora called out.

"Lightning."

The woman turned.

"I… we… are sorry. We have no shitty excuses, but we are. Still, if you have to lump the blame on someone, blame me. Leave midget-ass out of it. Tell Katzroy that I hope he finds his kid."

Lightning seemed momentarily frozen, but she nodded again, just as curtly.

All Fang could do now was stare at the two delinquents. Spencer seemed to be sleeping peacefully, like a babe. Lenora, on the other hand, was staring at the wall, a blank mask of horror and self-loathing on her face. Fang realized that Raines' sister had only been putting on an angry face in order to convince Lightning that she was normal, when clearly she wasn't.

Fang instantly knew what was going on.

"Hey now," she said warningly. "We just got Light out of the emo corner. At least, it seems like we did. We don't need you going back in her place."

Lenora laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, Lenora Raines is feeling guilty. Surprise surprise. But yeah, Lightning mighta killed my brother. She felt guilty about that, but he was trying to kill her. But… to kill a _kid_…" She swallowed. "That's just sick."

"Remember, Dajh might still be alive," said Fang in a low voice. "Don't you be giving up now. They just have to find him."

"I'd look for him myself, if I could get out of this damned…" Lenora's murmur trailed away as she slowly slumped, resting her head on Spencer's shoulder.

Fang sighed quietly to herself, before returning her gaze to the door- trying to ignore the twisting feeling inside at the thought of Dajh all alone and afraid, or worse…

Not even alive.

* * *

Hope's lungs were burning. They had been burning for the past hour, but something inside him wouldn't let him stop running. He had to keep going, he had to find Dajh.

It had been two hours since the rest of them had gotten a call from Sazh. The man had not sounded panicked; he seemed to be more shocked than anything. As soon as he explained the situation, Hope, Serah, Snow, Bartholomew, and Team Nora all split up, sprinting through every street in search for the boy. Hope himself had been assigned the task of combing the wreckage of the square where the Eidolon battle took place. No body had been present.

This had spurred him to run and search practically all over town, shouting Dajh's name at the top of his lungs. Two hours, and there was no sign of the boy.

Two hours. His feet felt like lead.

A sob escaped him. Dajh had become dear to them all, a symbol of the future- the good future, the sign that one day, some day, everything was going to be alright. He gave them hope even more so than Hope himself, and that was a role that no one else could play.

Hope was angry- angry at Lenora and Spencer for summoning their Eidolons so recklessly, even though he knew that there was really no other way to summon them the first time. They couldn't control it. All the same, he wished that they'd been more careful.

Lightning had arrived just in time to prevent the two from completely destroying that section of the city. She had explained that Odin had been easy enough to summon, and that no difficulty was encountered. He reasoned that she must not have lost a lot of her l'Cie power when she became human again. Lenora and Spencer later said that their Eidolons' names were Leviathan and Artemis, respectively.

He rounded another corner, only to see the street deserted again. A scream of frustration tore from his lips as he fell to his knees, his fist hitting the ground in an ineffective punch.

"Hey."

It was Sazh.

"I'm sorry," Hope burst out, unable to hold in his feeling of failure. "I couldn't find him. I've looked everywhere I can think of, but…"

But he was helpless to do anything. Looking into Sazh's eyes, desolate of any resolve, he realized that the man felt the exact same way. Hope closed his eyes, feeling a single raindrop patter onto his face before he opened them again.

Even the sky was crying.

* * *

Lightning decided that she hated two things now: irony, and the rain.

Cocoon was partially obscured from view by the dark gray clouds that blanketed the sky. Lightning scowled in annoyance as her entire uniform was pelted with water, and she inadvertently began to shiver from the cold that the dampness brought. Her anger was the only thing that gave her some sense of warmth; it stayed inside her, sizzling there, a persistent flame. It wasn't directed at Lenora and Spencer, but at herself.

She should've known it could happen, she should've kept an eye on them. After all, the first time she'd summoned Odin, Hope had almost been killed. If, by some stroke of bad luck, she hadn't suddenly gotten the Medic role, he just might have. Lightning, struck by a bout of frustration, opened her mouth and screamed at the heavens.

Ironically enough, it was still the same day when she'd made her resolution to put an end to all the confusion. Stupid irony. Stupid rain. It was giving her a headache.

…Now she sounded like Lenora. Maybe she'd start drinking next.

Lightning sighed, rubbing her eyes. That wasn't really something that she should be making fun of; apparently, Lenora and Spencer's argument had been about Lenora's drinking habits. At the very least, Spencer had been well-intentioned, but his frustration with Lenora had spilled over into… that.

What did those two mean to one another, anyway?

Their relationship had apparently always been rather unique. According to what Rygdea claimed, Lenora had all but bullied Spencer, constantly mocking him for his height. Spencer had retaliated with either cool remarks or contemptuous silence, which usually caused him to get himself beaten up by her.

However, smart remarks were about as far as Spencer went. Besides that, he had refused to fight back.

Rygdea had explained that he wasn't really sure what had changed, but now, 'midget ass' seemed to be some kind of endearing nickname. One which he didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Their behavior towards one another during their interrogation had been (if possible) even more confusing. Lenora had snapped rudely at everyone who so much as looked at Spencer the wrong way.

Lightning scowled when a raindrop landed straight in her eye, stinging and blurring her vision momentarily.

Her cell phone- presented to her by Amodar, who had recently welcomed her back on duty- vibrated in her pocket. Pausing a moment and praying that the rain wouldn't just ruin it, she took out the object, holding it to her ear.

"What?" she snapped.

"Would you get a grip, we've got about a million fucking problems here!"

"How do you even have a cell phone, Lenora? And how did you get this number?"

"I nicked it from Rygdea, alright? Now"-

She was cut off, and for a moment all Lightning could hear was yells and a muffled thud, before a new voice came on the speaker.

"Hey, Light."

"Fang."

"To put it simply, there's a riot going on here. Freaked out citizens, all wanting to tear Lenora and Spencer apart. I think a couple of 'em wanna have a go at me, too. They're blaming the l'Cie for what happened. Ungrateful bastards."

"What did you expect?" Lightning asked bitterly. "I'm on my way now, I'll see if I can get you out of there."

She snapped the phone shut, stuffing it back into her soaked pocket. Her fists shook as a wave of cold washed over her.

How she hated the rain.

How she hated irony.

* * *

Lenora stared at the door, listening to the muffled yells of people screaming from outside. It was incredible really, that despite how big the Guardian Corps complex was, they could still hear the sounds of the rioters. It seemed that these people were hell-bent on ripping out their intestines, and by the sound of it the unrest was spreading throughout the city; at least, that was what Fang claimed.

"Damn it damn it damn it…" muttered Lenora. "Why is my life so full of shit?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Because you've been hitting your head on the wall over and over again?"

"…How in the hell did you know about that?"

"The guy's got intuition, he does," said Fang, grinning at Lenora.

"Shaddup," muttered the mechanic, groaning slightly. "We're all gonna die, aren't we? And Lightning'll probably just laugh at our corpses."

"Naw, that's your job," replied Fang, still grinning and apparently unaffected by what was going on. Lenora stuck up her middle finger at her, which only made the irrepressible Pulsian laugh.

"Couldn't we technically just use our Eidolons to bust our way out of here?" suggested Spencer amiably. "The sight would probably have the crowd backing away momentarily, so no one would get hurt."

For a few moments, all Lenora could do was stare at Spencer, her mouth moving like that of a fish.

"Now I feel dumb," muttered Fang.

Lenora had opened her mouth to agree when her head exploded in pain.

"FUUUUUU"-

* * *

Lightning gasped at the searing of the brand on her chest, freezing when the huge crowd that had suddenly surrounded her only moments ago (it seemed that the entire city was intent on revolting) instantly laid eyes on the Sanctum brand, its glow piercing through the fabric of her jacket.

"She's one of them!" someone roared; the mass surged forward. Lightning felt someone grab hold of her short hair, but the storm had made it slippery. For once, she was glad that she'd cut it, as they had difficulty gripping it- especially after she elbowed the offender in the gut. A snarl appeared on her face as the agony surged through her again, making her go weak at the knees.

"Get back!" she shouted, but her words couldn't be heard over the cacophony of shouts ringing out around her. Her brand was acting up, and, well… she wasn't sure what that meant. It hadn't happened before apart from her first time summoning Odin, and she was sure that she wouldn't have to tame Odin again. However, Hope had informed her of a similar incident…

As if on cue, a shockwave of energy spread out from her, pushing back the people who had been clawing at her moments ago. Lightning couldn't help it; she let out a primal, shuddering scream as the pain seared through her like liquid fire in her veins.

Everyone around her stared with a mixture of fear and awe as she tried to keep herself from passing out- if she did, she was as good as dead.

It was too late- the blackness was spreading far faster than it took her to get pain under control. Yelling once more for people to back away, she went under.

The first thing that she was aware of was a giggle. It wasn't an ordinary, innocent giggle, like that of Vanille's, but something about it make her insides grow cold. Lightning could no longer feel any pain whatsoever, just the slow return of her senses. When her eyes opened, she blinked.

Above her was a ceiling of some sort, gray with all sorts of mottled patterns on it. As her energy slowly returned, she lifted her head, turning it from side to side in order to get a better view of her surroundings.

Oh.

She was in Taejin's Tower.

"How the hell did I get here?" she muttered, glaring around her. Who knew which tier she was currently on- the circular wall seemed to stretch infinitely both upwards and downwards.

The giggle sounded again, making her jerk her head towards the source. Sitting not three feet away from her, cross-legged and grinning like a maniac…

Was herself.

Or rather, a two years younger version of herself. Her hair was long again, her eyes were definitely brighter- though they were bright in a way that Lightning instantly disliked- and her posture was more relaxed. It reminded her of the way Barthandelus had appeared disguised as Serah.

In short- she was disgusted.

"Who are you?" she spat.

Her other self continued to smile. "I'm you," she said, in a 'duh' sort of tone.

"I think we both know that that's bullshit," she stated tersely. "What's really going on here?"

"Well, that's a good question," said her evil twin. "I guess you could say I'm what you could've been."

"A bitch?"

"Silly Claire," said her other self. "You're the bitch. I just know how to have fun! Like when I'm killing things." She cocked her head to the side innocently. "Killing things is fun, isn't it? Don't you like seeing the blood drip from them, don't you like feeling your Blazefire Saber scraping against their bones when you draw it out of their flesh? It's like it's happening in slow motion and it makes you so happy…"

As she spoke the image around them changed, until it showed her counterpart doing exactly what she described with a shrieking Pantheron. Lightning's eyes widened as warm blood splattered onto her face; her stomach convulsed, and she leaned over, allowing sick to pour out.

"S-stop it!" she demanded shakily, before she retched again when the other Lightning repeatedly stabbed the Pantheron.

"But why?" she pouted. "You're just mad 'cause you know you like it too! You like seeing others being tortured by pain; it makes you feel stronger, right Claire?"

Lightning only continued throwing up.

Her doppelganger frowned. "Well, that's no fun," she muttered. In an instant, the image vanished, leaving them back in Taejin's Tower again. "Okay, I'll explain a little more, just quit barfing already."

Lightning stopped abruptly, turning her head to shoot her copy one of the most frigid glares she had ever mustered, though she didn't seem affected.

"So… you'd be me," she began, "If you'd let Hope die that one time. You know, the time when you first summoned Odin? Funny how that felt. I felt bad at first, but later I realized. The kid was in the way. If he'd stayed a little longer I probably would've killed him myself."

Lightning felt like she was going to throw up again. What disgusted her was that she _had_ felt like that at the time- in that split second, she'd considered allowing Hope to be crushed by her Eidolon and going on alone.

"Guess what? I killed Raines, too. Just like you. It was all kinda funny though, 'cause I stabbed him. And laughed at him. And aww, the guy looked hurt or something. It was a shame really, he was _hot."_

Despite the fact that Lightning was preoccupied enough as it was, she blushed. Those were her thoughts as well, not just her clone's.

"Yeah, we used to think dirty thoughts about him, huh? But that was before you got boring and starting doing that freaky 'control your thoughts' thing, and then you totally just drove it out of your mind. I don't know how you live with it."

By now, Lightning was angry. Really, _really_ angry. Slowly, she stood, drawing out her saber from its sheathe.

Her counterpart noticed, the smile still not disappearing from her face. "You can't kill me. I'm you."

"Would you like to test that theory?" asked Lightning coldly, raising a single eyebrow threateningly. The other her only widened her grin.

Before Lightning could so much as lift a finger to defend herself, the other moved faster than their namesake, the blade of- not the Blazefire Saber- the survival knife piercing the spot where her l'Cie mark rested.

Lightning gasped as a wave of cold seeped into her bones. It seemed as though her legs turned to jello, and she shuddered horribly, sinking to the ground. For a moment, it seemed as though snakes were writhing around inside her, before pure anguish rocked her. In an instant, before she could open her mouth to scream, she blacked out again.

* * *

"They're everywhere," murmured Serah, staring out of her apartment window in a kind of trance. Her knees were drawn to her chest, and her eyes were fixated on the hundreds of people in the street, now openly fighting against the Guardian Corps soldiers trying to pacify them. Not that it was too unexpected; every event had been building up until now, like ingredients for a bomb. The incident with Lenora and Spencer was what lit the fuse.

And now, it had exploded.

Snow was out there. She frowned; the fact that her husband to be was risking his life, trying to help people see sense only made her stomach curl up in worry. She drew into herself more tightly, squeezing her eyes shut when lightning flashed again.

Funny. The lightning should've been reassuring, and yet…

And yet there was nothing reassuring about it whatsoever. It filled her with despair, not with the resolve her sister gave her. Serah came close to screeching with shock at the pounding on her door.

Slowly, groaning from the way her legs protested after being curled up for nearly an hour, Serah walked towards the entrance to her apartment, but froze. What if the protestors had come to attack her? Glancing around, she recalled that she didn't have any weapons on hand- but she did have an almost identical knife to Lightning's, which had been given to her by her sister.

"In case you ever get into trouble when I'm not around."

This was the perfect time to use it. Her sister had given her brief lessons on how to wield it, but she had warned her that actually having to use it was something else entirely.

"Focus on your life. Your life, and your enemy's. Remember, if one of you has to die, it has to be your enemy."

Serah gulped, creeping over towards the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. The pounding continued relentlessly, and it soon became indeterminable from her own heartbeat. A scream emerged from her mouth as the door broke down, revealing Cie'th.

_Cie'th?_

Horror overcame her, and in a panic she plunged her blade into the first that tried to stumble into the room, making inhumane groans and shrieks. It quickly tumbled to the floor, going still. Frenzied by now, Serah did the same to the next, tears streaming down her face while she continued screaming.

Thankfully, there were only two that she had to deal with. For a few moments, she stood over the corpses, breathing heavily, eyes wild with the exertion. Then she collapsed to her knees, unable to do anything but sob in horror.

* * *

Lightning awoke to stare in the face of a Cie'th- if they even had faces, that is. Yelling in alarm, she made a wild slash with her Blazefire Saber, neatly slicing its head off. Utterly baffled, she took in her surroundings.

It was nothing short of a disaster, reminiscent of the incident from a few days ago, and the Pulse monsters attacking Eden two years ago.

Cie'th- of every variety, even undying- were everywhere. Citizens, who had been previously protesting, were now running for cover, shouting their heads off. Lightning stood quickly, appalled by what was happening. It was still nighttime, which meant her strange vision hadn't taken very long to occur. Worry struck her, as she thought of Lenora and Spencer, still stuck in the jail. Her feet were carrying her in that direction even before she thought about it, and she quickly sped up, hoping to arrive in time.

Any Cie'th that got in her way was quickly cut down.

"About damn time!" shouted Lenora, shooting a quick ruin at another Cie'th before sprinting over, Spencer and Fang hard on her heels. Lightning didn't bother to question how they'd gotten out of prison- the chaos was probably enough to distract the Guardian Corps as well as PSICOM.

"You might wanna check your brand," suggested Lenora dryly, lifting her black bangs. Lightning's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the mark, which had jumped from having just a few arrows to having an almost-opened eye.

"I doubt I need to," she replied. "Most likely, mine's the same."

For a few moments, they were surrounded only by screams and sounds of explosions- probably from the army. Then, Spencer spoke.

"We're done for, aren't we? Unless we find a way to complete our Focus."

None of them seemed to have an answer to that. Lenora almost casually activated her TALON and sliced at another nearby monster, felling it with ease.

"Fang."

The Pulsian looked at Lightning, a quizzical look on her face. "What's up?"

"You know. You know what this is about. Don't think I've forgotten."

Fang paled considerably.

"I don't need specifics. Just tell us what we need to do."

"NO!" Fang was instantly on the defensive, sending glares towards all three of the l'Cie. "No, no, and no! I told you, Light, you can't get involved. Please, just don't."

"Oh yeah," said Lenora sarcastically. "So you're just gonna say, 'Go fuck yourself', and let us go Cie'th? Like these dickwads wandering around right now?"

Lightning pinned Fang with her gaze, letting her know that she agreed with Lenora for once. Spencer too was staring at the Pulsian woman, clearly disgruntled by her attitude. She saw the bulge in Fang's throat move as she swallowed, before giving a hesitant answer.

"Look," she began warningly. "I'm not promising anything here; all I can tell you is that your Focus has everything to with Cocoon. Also, there's something in Taejin's Tower that may help," she added, seemingly as an afterthought.

Lightning locked eyes with Fang's jade orbs for a few moments, before nodding, her instinctive trust of the woman kicking in. "I'll go to Cocoon."

"Guess we'll head to Taejin's fucking Tower," muttered Lenora. A confused look came upon her face. "Uh… where is that?"

Fang slapped a hand to her forehead, looking exasperated. "I'll take ya there," she stated firmly, clapping Lenora on the shoulder and ignoring the tall woman's deadly glare. "And, not for nothing, Sunshine, but just how do you intend to get to _your_ destination?"

Lightning blinked twice as the question hit her full on, and she realized what a valid point Fang had. How _was_ she going to get to Cocoon? Judging by how far their brands had advanced, she didn't have enough time to scale the pillar again, and Odin (as incredible as he was) couldn't fly.

"HA!" yelled Lenora suddenly, making the other three jump. Spencer reflexively shot down an approaching Cie'th with his 'harpoon', while the black haired woman bouncing up and down. "Leviathan can fly."

"He's _your_ Eidolon," stated Lightning dryly.

"Does it look like I give a shit? He does what I tell him to, and that's that! We'll just take Artemis to Tobacco Tower or whatever the hell it is…"

"I didn't volunteer for this," muttered Spencer, sighing wearily.

Lightning nodded slowly, realizing that this was probably the only plan they had to go on. She wondered what people running by in fright thought of them, calmly standing around chatting while the city was being terrorized by Cie'th. Were the situation less dire, she would've chuckled at the thought.

"Here goes," said Lenora, taking her blue, spade-shaped crystal and crushing it in her metal fist. At once, the summoning circle grew out around her, before the sea-monster knight appeared.

Lightning watched in awe as the Eidolon changed its appearance at Lenora's command; it never ceased to amaze her when one of the majestic creatures was summoned. It shifted to some sort of mechanical, winged sea serpent, which hissed loudly. Terrified citizens stopped to stare in shock.

"Listen up, numbnuts!" yelled Lenora; her Eidolon gave her a long-suffering look, causing the corners of Lightning's mouth to twitch. "You're taking _her_"- here she jabbed her finger in Lightning's direction- "to Cocoon. You're following her instructions. Got it?"

Her Eidolon's response was to spray Lenora with water. Lightning, taking advantage of the distraction provided by Raines' barrage of curses, clambered up onto the back of the creature.

As she opened her mouth to give the order to take off, her ankle was grabbed by Fang.

"Be careful, Sunshine," she warned, eyes flashing. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"That's exactly why I'm doing it, Fang," replied Lightning.

Leviathan, impatient enough as it was, hissed loudly and pushed off of the ground. Lightning caught a last glimpse of the faces of the three before she was whisked off into the tempestuous night.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry it took so long, I was distracted by Bleach, my latest anime obsession. I couldn't seem to stop watching it. One of the songs from the soundtrack inspired me: Nothing Can Be Explained. I kind of borrowed the rain theme from it.

Eh, I'm running out of questions to ask. Dun dun dun, Dajh is missing! I'm so evil, aren't I? Next chapter's the last before the epilogue. This wasn't really intended to be that long of a fic anyway, just a FFXIII project. I have to get back to my ongoing fics one of these days.

But I'm having so much fun writing this… I did have an idea for another XIII fic, one that again involves this pairing (Cid/Light). It's an AU where Lightning is stranded in Eden when the others go to Pulse, and she disguises herself as a businesswoman, becoming the head of a powerful company working indirectly for the Sanctum government. I want to get into the politics and drama of the Sanctum, since it wasn't covered much in the game. What do you all think?

Review please! They make me jump for joy when I get one- and more than one, well, then I'm ecstatic.


	5. Chapter 5: Call of the Haunted

Lenora let out a wild cheer, hanging off of the cat-like gestalt form of Spencer's Eidolon with one arm. Fang joined in her whooping, prompting him to glance back to where the two were grinning maniacally. He would have rolled his eyes, but he was too busy trying not to throw up. Anything moving tended to have that effect on him without fail, ever since he found himself regurgitating while stealing a ride on one of the trains that ran beneath Eden.

The gait of Artemis wasn't all that smooth, either; he could feel his stomach flip over every time they bounced up and down. Lenora laughed raucously when they were hurled over a large boulder, bounding across a great plain. The rain continued to pound on their faces, causing him to wince with each cold drop that pervaded his skin. The beasts that wandered the plain seemed to be avoiding them, most likely because… well, Eidolons were intimidating.

"We're on the Archylte Steppe!" yelled Fang, nearly blowing his eardrums; the woman had a loud voice. "There are two routes we can take next! One, we can go through the Mah'habara Subterra, but it might take awhile for us to catch up to Atomos. Two, we can go through this ravine, the Edge. The problem with it is that it has a reputation for being dangerous. You pick."

Spencer gritted his teeth; whatever this 'Atomos' was, it sounded fairly intimidating, and they didn't have time to waste searching for it. They were l'Cie; he was fairly certain that they could handle danger.

"We're taking the Edge!" he shouted, nudging Artemis with his foot. The creature seemed to understand his train of thought, altering her course and gait ever so slightly. They flew past a Behemoth King, which roared in defiance, but didn't come any closer. He was thankful for that, since he wasn't sure they could take on one of the monsters; according to Fang, her group had been far more advanced than him and Lenora by the time they were able to defeat them.

Towering cliffs were rising up before them, looking impassable from where they journeyed towards them. Spencer's stomach gave an unpleasant lurch as Artemis gathered up her muscles for a monstrous leap, carrying them up one of the foothills. Lenora's whoop turned into a shriek as the jump nearly flung her off. Spencer glanced behind him, sighing with relief when Lenora finally decided to be intelligent and actually sit properly on the Eidolon.

Lightning, followed by a rumble of thunder, illuminated the land momentarily, throwing shadows in all directions. He caught a glimpse of a dark opening in the cliffs up ahead and guessed that it was their passageway to Taejin's Tower. Tightening his grip and forcing down his illness yet again, he leaned forward in anticipation as Artemis picked up speed.

That was unusual. Artemis' speed had been constant throughout almost the entire journey. Was his Eidolon actually nervous? The thought was a terrifying one.

The darkness appeared to swallow them as they entered the chasm; for a few moments nothing was visible. Spencer could only feel the wind on his face, since the Edge was narrow enough that it blocked out most of the rain. He tightened his grip, feeling an unwelcome chill come over him as he fought the desire to be able to see. Behind him, Lenora was chanting a mantra of swears while Fang chuckled weakly in response.

"Would you stop doing that?" snapped Lenora after a few minutes of riding in silence.

"Stop what?" asked Fang, sounding equally irritated. He would have glanced behind him, were he not clinging to Artemis for dear life; the cat being was pouring on speed, clearly anxious about being here.

"Shit!" exclaimed Lenora. "This is the part when we find out that some kind of hellish monster's trying to eat us, isn't it?"

Spencer sighed, praying that it would work, and concentrated on summoning and maintaining a small fire spell in his left hand. Doing so required releasing his grip on the fur of his Eidolon, and for a moment he thought he was going to spew all over his companions. Fortunately, a tiny flame appeared in his palm, lighting up the area.

He couldn't see anything apart from rock walls in front of him, causing him to relax slightly. Glancing behind him, he blanched.

Following them in utter silence was something that could've only been produced in nightmares. Tentacles slithered along the walls, holding up the thing- the main body was still concealed by blackness- above them. By all rights, such a creature should have been slow moving, but it was easily keeping up with Artemis' breakneck pace. Lenora, upon seeing his horrified visage, turned an interesting shade of white.

"Fuck," she muttered, blanching as she slowly looked up. "I hate it when I'm right. HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Fang glanced up as well; she was attempting to remain casual, but Spencer could tell that she too was shaken by the creature's appearance.

Lenora's first move was to shoot a Ruin at it, aiming for one of the tentacles but missing. Instead, it hit the cliff side, causing several rocks to tumble down. She cursed, activating her TALON, and swearing doubly when her arm, once again, stopped functioning.

Fang was quick to heft one of the Guardian Corps guns and began firing towards where she thought the body was; the bullets seemed to have no effect, other than angering it. One of the tentacles slipped down to grip Fang's throat, and she gave a muffled yell as it tried to tug her off. Lenora clawed at it desperately, digging her metal nails into the scaly flesh and receiving an unearthly shriek from their adversary. Spencer couldn't take it anymore, and bending over, screamed in his Eidolon's ear.

"Give it all you've got!"

Artemis seemed only too happy to oblige, putting on a burst of speed that he wouldn't have thought possible. Everything around them became a blur, and thankfully the tentacle was ripped from Fang, instead of the other way around. Lenora slumped back in her seat, looking haggard.

At long last, they shot out of the passage, each one of them heaving a sigh of relief as lightning flashed again, revealing the imposing structure up ahead. Even cracked in half, Taejin's Tower was an impressive example of architecture.

Once more, Spencer checked up on his companions. Fang was staring at the building with a mixture of remorse and nervousness in her jade eyes, causing him to wonder just what was waiting for them. Lenora's eyes were alight with determination, a refreshing look from her normal bad temper.

They arrived at the great doorway to the circular tower, and the three of them slid off of Artemis. He thanked his Eidolon before she vanished, leaving nothing but an emerald, leaf crystal behind.

"Let's never go through there again," suggested Lenora, sounding woozy.

"I hear ya," muttered Fang, nodding decisively in agreement. "Now then, shall we?"

* * *

Lightning pressed her thumb into the gimmick, and a crackling blue aura surrounded her, preventing her from breaking every bone in her body when she landed in a crouch. Lenora's Eidolon gave one last shrieking hiss before soaring back out of the suspended sphere, returning to his master. She stood up fully, taking in her surroundings and swallowing at the sight.

It was her goal all right- Eden, the capital (and heart) of Cocoon. The major difference was that it was no longer hanging in a brightly lit blue sky; it was now grounded on a plain near Palumpolem. While the city had certainly received some damage from the Pulse invasion it had endured two years ago, it hadn't been to this extent. Fine dust littered the area, which Lightning could only assume had once been glass from the many modern buildings towering everywhere. Those once great structures were now crumbling; there wasn't a single intact window in sight. Traffic lights, signs posts, cars- all these things were littered about like trash in the Vile Peaks. Everywhere she looked it was dark; the only source of light was the Fire spell she held.

The silence was deadening; it seemed to almost weigh her down, making her feel oddly weak. A tiny shiver ran down her spine when she noticed that there were, indeed, bodies dotting the sidewalks- people who hadn't survived the Fall. She looked away after noticing that they were practically rotted skeletons by now. Slowly, she began to make her way forward, unsure as to where she was exactly. Lightning disliked not knowing where she was going.

Why the ruins of Eden had been her choice of destination, she still wasn't sure. It wasn't as though she'd had some kind of unseen force pulling her in that direction; she'd simply wanted to return. She wanted to see the damage that had been done, as she herself hadn't been there when the city had tumbled out of the sky. The sight that welcomed her made her grateful that she had already been put into crystal stasis.

Stuffing her Grav-Con into her pouch on her waist, she pulled out her gunblade, quickly changing it to blade mode. Her powers had diminished since the last time, and it was quickly becoming difficult to maintain the flame in her palm. Making it as tiny as possible, she continued onward, maneuvering around a particularly large pile of debris on what was once a road.

Soon, she came to a large, open area, realizing that it was one of the six way intersections that Eden had. Crashed vehicles were crumpled into buildings on the side of the road. An arm hung out of one of them.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she glanced around warily. Something was off; there was nothing to fear from death, but there was something else wrong as well. Lightning whirled around, thinking she heard footsteps, but no one was present behind her.

Not quite relieved, she turned back and kept moving, until she was in the center of the intersection. She went to take another step- and found she couldn't. Lightning tried to hiss in frustration, but no sound came out of her mouth. She couldn't even twitch a single finger. The flame went out, plunging her into darkness.

Then the glow began, starting right underneath where she was standing. She recognized it easily enough- it was the Sanctum's symbol, only much larger than herself. It continued to grow outwards, quickly encompassing the intersection and revealing the person that stood in front of her.

Her blood turned to ice.

"I thought I explicitly told Fang to keep you out of this."

Had she been able to move, her jaw would have dropped. She would have replied, unsteadily, "And I thought you were dead." She would have screamed at him. She would have tried with all her might to kill him. She would have abandoned all pretense of the cold soldier she showed, and would have fought like a crazed Behemoth- but she could do none of those things.

The only thing she could do was stare, and convey as much hate through her gaze as possible.

Cid Raines stood there- alive, breathing, not with his head hanging from a gunshot wound as he should have been.

"I apologize for the restraint," he said, gesturing towards her. "It was necessary."

Suddenly, Lightning found that she could control her mouth again. The first thing she did, now that she had regained her composure, was ask, "Why's that?"

He didn't answer, merely studied her in an unnerving fashion with those intense gray eyes of his (just like Lenora's, she noted) in silence. He then gestured towards her Blazefire Saber. "I'm aware from past experiences that that would be at my throat within milliseconds."

She scowled. Nearby, she thought she heard a rumbling sound, and frowned. What exactly was that? The attack of the Cie'th couldn't have reached this far, could it?

She heard Raines mutter something along the lines of, "running out of time." She began to struggle once again, this time focusing all of her energy into her magic, hoping it would break whatever bind he had put on her. She was rewarded by being able to twitch one of her fingers.

Not much, but it was a start.

Raines seemed distracted, staring off to the right as though seeing something, but as far as she could tell, nothing was there. Frowning, she once again focused on her energy, and let loose a sigh of relief when she realized that this time she could move all muscles.

Raines' eyes snapped towards her before narrowing. She cursed inwardly; he had probably sensed it happening, since he was the one who had done it. He was right about one thing- her weapon was in her hand in no time. Wary of his fighting skills, she began circling him carefully.

Whether he knew it or not, he began to do the same.

"So what is it this time?" she spat venomously. "No grand speech, no tale of fighting fate? Just what's your aim now?"

"I cannot tell you that."

Well, at least he was honest in that. She was beginning to grow frustrated with him eluding her questions. It was just like him to do so, too.

_You, who broke me… you would come back…_

She hefted her gunblade, blanking out the rest of her mind and tensing herself up. Fighting was inevitable; he seemed keen to stop her from being there. When he took one step forward (one step too close, in her opinion), she lunged, bringing the Blazefire Saber towards him in a sweeping arc. Seemingly out of nowhere, he blocked it with a blade of his own. She recognized it as being a rarer issued gunblade- a Helter Skelter, if she was not mistaken. She couldn't help the small trickle of relief mixed with foreboding that ran down her spine.

Still, the relief was understandable; even after everything, she wasn't sure she could kill him again.

* * *

Hope dodged beneath the Cie'th's outstretched arms, gasping for breath and clutching his side. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead, while his hand held Vanille's in a death grip as she pulled him along.

"Ugh! Where are they?" she wailed, casting about. They had been running through the streets for some time; weaponless and powerless, they had been unable to do anything to help the terrified citizens. Hope felt a mixture of disgust and pity well up inside of him at some of the sights that could be seen, of what the monsters were doing to their victims. Vanille was trying to hide her horror at it again, but he could see through her mask.

"We need to keep moving!" he yelled over the screams. She nodded, and they were soon running again.

Up ahead, Hope caught sight of a few familiar figures- Sazh's afro was unmistakable, and Snow's tall figure couldn't hide anywhere. Almost invisible was Serah, one of Snow's arms wrapped tightly and protectively around her shoulders. Hope noticed that she was shaking.

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Vanille, before a frown suddenly appeared on her face. "Where's Fang? And Lightning?"

"Don't know!" shouted Sazh, shooting another Cie'th with his pistols. "We can't find them anywhere; Lenora and Spencer aren't around either."

Hope felt a pang; no one mentioned Dajh.

"What do we do?" he asked, looking straight at Snow. Noticing this, Snow threw up his hands in frustration.

"You got me," he stated. "I'd guess that maybe we oughtta try getting everyone out of here, somewhere where we can keep track of them all!"

"Yeah? And how're we gonna do that?" yelled Sazh.

Snow frowned for a few moments, before his eyes lit up. Hope found himself gulping; that never meant anything good.

"We give them a reason to run."

* * *

"This place is a fuck hole. It's like a dick snapped in half."

"I did not need that bit of imagery," muttered Fang, wincing along with Spencer. Lenora ignored them, her TALON out and ready in case another monster would decided to leap out of the shadows.

"Where is this fucking prophecy room, anyway?" asked Lenora. "Hell, I don't even know how to get back to the entrance."

"You leave the navigating to me," reassured Fang. "We aren't lost, I can tell ya that much."

"Load a shit," muttered Lenora. "Life sucks."

"Only if you say it does," piped up Spencer.

"Shut it, midget ass."

The trio was silent for a while, wandering around the third tier and flinching whenever a shadow passed over them. Lenora shivered slightly, unsure why it was that the darkness seemed to move in this place. She hated being uneasy, and it wasn't about to get any easier.

"Oh crap," said Fang, stopping so suddenly that Lenora bumped into her.

"What?" she snapped, annoyed, before the sight before her caught her eye. "What the fuck?"

"You are very verbose today," stated Spencer casually, coming to stand beside them and taking in the picture.

"That was definitely not there before," muttered Fang.

It was a perfect replica of the Cocoon they knew now- an enormous crystal structure that towered over Pulse. Beneath it were words inscribed in ancient Pulsian, which Fang was attempting to scrutinize.

_"When l'Cie awaken,_

_ The support is taken."_

"Yeah, 'cause that helps," said Spencer sarcastically. He squinted at it again. "Wonder what it means?"

Lenora, on the other hand, was gaping at the message, its meaning crashing in on her full force. In a moment, her phone was out and in her hand, and she was dialing Lightning's number.

"You're both idiots!" she shouted, sounding panicked. "Damnit Lightning, pick up!"

* * *

"Gimme that!" yelled Snow, snatching the megaphone out of the PSICOM officer's hands. He saw Hope roll his eyes as the officer panicked, screeching and sprinting in the other direction. Serah merely giggled slightly, pressing her hand to her mouth. Snow winked at her, giving her the thumbs up, before holding the megaphone.

"LISTEN UP!" he bellowed into it, causing Sazh, Serah, Hope, and Vanille to all wince and cover their ears. Most of the citizens didn't appear to heed him, but he could hardly blame them, what with all the Cie'th running around. "The structure holding up Cocoon is unstable! Everyone needs to evacuate the city before it collapses! This is an emergency situation. Don't stop to take anything with, just hurry and leave!"

He stopped for a few moments, and switched off the device. "How was that?"

"Intimidating," replied Serah, smiling. "Very convincing. Shouldn't we be leaving too, then?"

The rest nodded, beginning to make their way towards the edge of New Bodhum, but Hope stopped when he noticed Sazh had not moved, a pained looked on the man's face.

"Dajh might still be here…" he murmured, not really paying attention. No one was certain of what to say to that, and Snow himself gulped a bit; he had not initially considered this when he planned it. He just wanted people to get out of the city, since the Cie'th only seemed to be inside it.

"Sazh," whispered Vanille, looking saddened. "He might already be out of the city. You never know." Gently, she took his arm, leading him in the same direction that the rest of them had been heading. Hope stood on the other side of Sazh, looking almost a downcast. Snow felt Serah slip her hand into his, and he squeezed it reassuringly.

He had been horrified to find her in their apartment, crouching against the wall and sobbing among the bodies of dead Cie'th. She had still been clutching the knife that Lightning gave her, and Snow realized just how grateful he was that his sister had had the foresight to buy it for Serah. Their group pelted through the streets, avoiding Cie'th. He was relieved to see that people were heading in the same direction.

"Snow!" shouted Hope, running up behind him. "We've got trouble!"

The blond skidded to a stop, turning to frown at the white haired boy. "What kind?"

Hope's face said it all- something was seriously wrong.

"Well… Lenora called me, and…"

* * *

Lightning gasped when his fist knocked the wind out of her, her breath coming out in a whoosh. There were several cuts on her arms and one deeper gash on her leg, which was very quickly worsening in terms of pain. Back flipping out of the way just in time to avoid another strike, she carefully stepped over a skeletal corpse, realizing that had she tripped over it, she would be dead.

The only reason why she was even capable of fighting him on equal terms was due to her fury. Recalling that she had spent the last two years living a life without meaning because of _him _was what gave her strength at that moment. She remembered all those hours she had been sitting cross legged in her apartment, eyes fixed blankly on the wall. Lightning had only just gotten over him- and now he was back.

She was confused as well- confused about her feelings in the matter, as well as why they were fighting in the first place. It wasn't the same as before- her Focus was supposed to help people this time.

Gritting her teeth, she decided that it would be best to try and give herself a few moments to heal herself. Switching to her Ravager role, she casted several Waters at him, before shooting a Fira. The resulting steam gave her some cover for the time being- enough for her to quickly switch to Medic and Cure herself. Her leg didn't heal all of the way, but it would be enough to keep her going.

Lightning had barely enough time to go back to Commando before he came at her again, gunblade swinging high. She brought hers up to block it, forgetting that it had temporarily been in gun mode, and made to slash at him when she realized her mistake. A gasp escaped her as she tried to recover by shooting several bullets at him, but the maneuver failed, and his Helter-Skelter buried itself in her side.

She utterly refused to cry out from the pain, stumbling backwards and almost passing out as the agony shot through her. Lightning hunched over, gasping and clutching the now-bleeding wound. This time she remembered to revert back to blade mode to parry another strike, only barely able to think through the throbbing pain.

She straightened again as he took a step back, allowing her to recover. Raines: always the gentleman, even in battle. She stood with her back straight, ignoring the way her muscles were now shaking with exertion. Her body screamed at her to rest, but she could see the determination set in his eyes. To rest would mean to die; she was certain of it now. The fact that she had a hole in her side meant little compared to that.

Lightning refused to break eye contact with him, holding her gunblade in front of her in a defensive position.

"You should leave," he suggested, in a tone that brooked no argument. Lightning's soldier instincts almost kicked in, as the thought registered as an order from a commanding officer. However, she only narrowed her eyes in response, not bothering to shift her position.

"Why?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice. First Fang, and now he was trying to keep her out of whatever was happening. Wait a minute- _Fang. _

"Did you tell Fang to kill those people?" Why had she not thought of this before? Fang had told her, during that one interrogation, that Lightning should take everyone and vacate the city, despite all of the work that had gone into building it over the past two years. Many citizens had run already, fearing another monster attack. Did he cause the beast invasion? The Cie'th invasion? Why try to convince everyone to run from New Bodhum?

"Yes," was his deadpanned reply. "In order to scare away the citizens."

"You've put Rygdea through hell, you know," she hissed, clenching her teeth as her wound gave a twinge. Her eyes narrowed to furious blue slits, and she remembered feeling this exact same kind of anger- anger at him those two years ago, when he first asked her to kill him.

"It was necessary."

That did it.

Without thinking, she lunged, not noticing the pain in her side or the way he blocked her strike with ease. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" she screamed, seeing red. "Do you know the torture you've put those closest to you through? Do you know what you've done to _her, _to Rygdea, to Fang- you think it was easy for her to just murder those people? Let's all make Fang be the killer, because she tore open Cocoon's shell five hundred years ago! _That'll solve everything!"_

The fact that he remained unfazed by her even as she wildly attacked him only served to enrage her further. After she swiped at him again, he struck back, by easily grabbing her wrist, using the same move that he'd used in the Fifth Ark to flip her onto her side. She calmed down slightly after this, glaring up at him.

"I swore," she said, her voice a whisper, "That if what you did hurt anyone else, I would drag you from hell and kill you again. The 'dragged from hell' part has already happened; now all that's left is to kill you."

Now his expression darkened. His voice was soft. "Do you believe it was easy for me, too?" He closed his eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I was forced to do the bidding of the very being I despised. Now, I am enslaved yet again," here he bore his gloved right hand to her, the mark of Sanctum l'Cie glowing through the fabric, "And helpless to do anything but complete my Focus. I am saving the lives of millions. You cannot seem to accept that."

_"Saving_ lives?" she spat contemptuously, struggling to stand. "More like destroying them."

"Leave," he said again, narrowing his eyes. "Understand that you can do nothing."

Lightning looked down at the ground, staring at the shadows that danced in the eerie light. "If I can do nothing," she whispered. "Then why am I a l'Cie? Why am I still alive? What's my purpose? Do I even have one anymore?" She finally succeeded in straightening up, staring at him again. "Was I only meant to be Anima's tool?"

He didn't answer.

"I don't believe that," she stated, more strongly. "I don't believe that I have my powers again for nothing. There is something that I need to do," at this remark, her brand began to burn, "And you are _not _getting in my way!"

The pink rose warped the air around it, forming fully in front of her as she murmured her Eidolon's name. Then, flinging it into the air, she sliced at it. The summon circle appeared, along with Odin. Seeing the might of her summon filled her with resolve, making her stand taller. She could do this; she could still win…

"Uhn," she gasped, looking down.

Embedded in the spot where her l'Cie mark lay hidden was the familiar hilt of a knife. Instantly her hand sought the sheath where her survival knife usually rested, only to find that it wasn't there. How had Raines known about it, or even taken it? She looked up, seeing that he was now directly in front of her, genuine remorse on her face. Gently, he pulled it back out, as she made a choking sound, collapsing to her knees.

_No…_

She had failed. Whatever she was meant to do- it was a task that she couldn't complete. Serah, Fang, Snow, Hope, Vanille, Sazh, Lenora, Spencer… each one of them… would she see them again? He caught her, handling her as though she might break.

_No…_

She had come this far, only to die here?

_No…_

Blackness began encompassing her vision; all she could see now was the armored form of Odin, as well as Cid's haunting gray eyes.

_NO!_

* * *

"No, damn it!"

"Still not having any luck?" asked Fang, raising an eyebrow. Lenora flipped her off for the third time, staring in frustration at the communication device. She had managed to get a hold of Hope, but couldn't seem to reach Lightning. After trying and trying to call her, she finally gave up.

"No reception in here," muttered Lenora dejectedly. She slouched back over to where Fang and Spencer were reclining against the wall. "This sucks. She needs to know."

"We might have better luck at the top of the tower," suggested Fang, jerking her head towards the lift. "'Course, the storm'll still be ragin' on and on, but that's nothing we can't handle, eh?"

"You couldn't have fucking mentioned that before?" snarled Lenora, shooting her darkest glare at her companion. Fang raised both hands up, an innocent expression on her face.

"Are you two coming or not?" They both looked over to where Spencer stood by the elevator, already preparing to board. He blanched when they both glowered at him before hurrying over, entering the contraption. Lenora hated how beaten up the thing was; she could easily fix it up herself. In fact, she was thinking about just doing that for the heck of it.

As soon as they exited, the wind began battering them fiercely, not showing any sign of slowing. Lenora scowled in annoyance at the way her hair whipped around her face, wondering if she should get it cut like Lightning had done with hers. Fang didn't seem particularly bothered by it, if at all, and Spencer squinted out into the darkness.

"I think I see something!" he roared over the wind, narrowing his eyes and shielding them with his hand at the same time. Lenora thought she could make out a shape flitting through the air, but wasn't completely certain.

"I'll try to make the call!" she shouted, pulling out her phone. She could barely see the screen and was trying to punch in the number when something screeched.

Glancing up, she yelled out a swear, barely having time to dodge an enormous tentacle as it attempted to slam all three of them to the ground. She dove one way; Spencer and Fang threw themselves the other way, both looking shocked.

Tentacles meant one thing to Lenora.

"It's that freak from before!" she yelled, avoiding another tentacle. Fang began firing at it again, the bullets having the same effect as back in the Edge. Lightning flashed, throwing the beast into full relief for the first time.

The main body… well, there wasn't really a main body; just a bunch of tentacles leading back to a bulky, swollen mass. The mouth was facing them- a circular thing with razor sharp teeth on the sides. It was using the other tentacles to hold itself up while it attacked them. One of them hit Fang, knocking the Gran Pulsian to the ground.

"Hey, you bitch!" yelled Lenora, shooting a Ruin at it. "You want some- OH SHIT!"

She switched to Sentinel, using Mediguard a millisecond before the tentacle collided with her, knocking her back a few paces but otherwise leaving her unharmed. She crouched defensively, activating her TALON while it battered her again and again. The Mediguard kept her energy on a steady increase.

"Watera!" came a shout from the other side of the tier. The attack hit the creature, but didn't seem to faze it all that much. Lenora winced as she felt her Mediguard run out, forcing her to evade the monster's next few attacks. This time she used Vendetta, hoping to get a retaliatory strike in.

Her jaw dropped when lightning lit up the sky again, revealing on the end of each tentacle, an enormous, dark spike had grown out, and one of the tentacles was now attempting to stab Fang repeatedly. Knowing that this would probably come back to bite her, Lenora used Challenge, the magic distracting the creature from Fang's presence.

Now attacks were literally raining down on her. She felt a momentary boost in strength, and realized that Spencer was using his Synergist role. "Thanks!" she shouted, knowing he wouldn't hear her.

The next tentacle bounced off of a green shield- a Protect, she now realized. Evading several more attacks, she decided it was time to use a more offensive approach.

She switched to Commando, racing towards the main body and noting how much her speed had increased. A Haste, probably. Dodging the tentacles was significantly easier now, and she managed to land a scratch on the mass. The thing shrieked, and she backpedaled out of the way of its revenge.

For just an instant, she could see Spencer, and she made eye contact with him. His face lit up in understanding, and he hefted his harpoon, taking aim at the beast. Lenora ran forward once again, switching to Sentinel and using Challenge.

"Come on, mother fucker!" she screamed. "Show me what you got!"

The thing turned its mouth towards her- and Spencer fired.

The missile seemed to fly in slow motion, and Lenora silently prayed (and swore) as it entered the maw of the creature, vanishing into the darkness.

The thing screamed, a sound which made her want to cover her ears and hunch over on the ground, but she didn't. Most of the tentacles lost their slack, their grip on the surroundings loosening considerably. The mass of muscle hit the floor; she could've sworn that the entire tower shook. Lenora sighed with relief, not quite hearing Spencer shout her name over the wind.

The next thing she knew, a still-living tentacle knocked her flat, the spike on the end digging mercilessly into her abdomen. She screamed in pain as it pulled it out before stabbing her repeatedly with it, twisting around each time and making blood fly around her. Several drops landed on her face, and she shuddered as it finally went limp, the tentacle coming to rest beside her.

Within moments, Spencer was at her side, a look of horror on his face. Lenora found it oddly funny to see him looking like that.

"Get that look off your face, you look like a fuckin' idiot," she mumbled. "Where's my phone?"

He ignored her. "Stay with me!" he shouted; she registered Fang crouching over her on her other side.

"You're lucky," said Fang grimly. "It's missed your organs, but that thing went right through you. It'll only be a matter of time before you bleed to death."

"Shut the fuck up, and give me my damn phone!" she hissed through clenched teeth. This time Spencer listened to her, fumbling with her pockets and pulling out the device, handing it to her.

She dialed Lightning's number, ignoring how she already felt weaker; something wet was gathering beneath her. _Pick up…_

* * *

Peace. There was nothing- it wasn't dark, but it wasn't light, either. It just was.

She wondered how long she had been floating there, feeling strangely warm and calm. She hadn't felt this happy in a while; she wasn't forcing herself into a hectic life anymore. She could just relax.

_Lightning._

That was her name, wasn't it? Or was it Claire? She couldn't remember.

_Lightning. _

She didn't want to hear it; she wanted to rest.

_Lightning! Awaken! _

_ …Odin?_

Her eyes snapped open, revealing only more darkness. She blinked several times, trying to remember where she was, and then realized that she was still within Cocoon. Sitting up, she hissed in pain as her side seemed to explode. Her chest- specifically her l'Cie mark- was sore as well, and new blood stained her white jacket. Her hair was matted and pressed to her head.

Odin was nowhere to be seen.

_Wait a minute… didn't Raines kill me? Aren't I supposed to be dead? _

Then she realized: Odin had given all of the energy he had to revive her, and to close up the wound that had been made. Had Raines known that that would happen? Had he really intended to kill her? She didn't want to believe that he had, but she knew that she had to consider the possibility.

Lightning spotted him, standing several feet away, not facing her. His head was bowed; he seemed to be waiting for something.

At that moment, her cell phone rang.

He whirled around, not looking surprised to see her alive. She quickly stood, noting that her side was still wounded, and took several steps back, answering her phone at the same time.

"What?"

"Oh thank hell! About damn time you pick up!"

Lightning winced slightly, holding the phone away from her ear, while Raines only raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem about to attack her, thankfully.

"Hang on a sec… yeah? What the fuck, Fang, you couldn't have told us earlier! HE'S MY BROTHER, DAMN IT!" Lightning heard a pause, before Lenora spoke to her again.

"Put it on speaker, please."

Wary of what Lenora was up to, Lightning did as she asked, now holding it so that Cid could hear. Evidently, her friend's next words were for her brother.

"Guess what, asshole? You are so fucking dead! If I don't kill Fang first, then I'll kill you for sure! Don't die now, 'cause I've gotta rip out your guts later!"

For the first time, Raines' face showed visible shock, and he seemed unable to speak.

"Anyway, Light, there's something you should know. Don't kill him; apparently, he's on our side. Same Focus and all that crap."

"Why should I care?" asked Lightning coldly.

"Because we're all gonna have a picnic together- BECAUSE COCOON'S GONNA FALL OUT OF THE FUCKING SKY AGAIN! He's just trying to stop it. What now, Fang?"

Lightning wondered why Fang was suddenly owning up to everything that had happened.

"Oh, okay… our Focus, apparently, is to stop it from happening- at least until everyone gets out of New Bodhum. Funny thing about that actually… you know what, I'll tell you later."

"How are we supposed to stop it?" asked Lightning, ignoring the chill that went down her spine at Lenora's revelation. Again? Was it because Fang and Vanille were no longer trapped in the crystal; had they been a critical part of its support?

"Hell if I know… Fang's not explaining. Just don't kill my brother, much as I'd like you to. And uh, I'd appreciating it if you could hurry up and finish our Focus, because I'm kind of dying here."

At this, Lightning glanced over at Raines, to see him turn an interesting shade of white.

"Yeah, I have a hole in my stomach. Funny… all I wanted to do was help…"

Her blood ran cold as those words rang through her mind. The dream she had, days ago… it had been correct. She could picture Lenora now: lying flat on her back, a gaping hole in her front.

"Right," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Just so you know, Light, I do think you can do it. Later."

"Lenora"-

The younger Raines sibling had hung up. Slowly, trying to get over the shock of what she was hearing, Lightning turned back to Raines, who was staring fixedly at the ground.

"Well?" she said, placing a hand on her hip. "You know what we have to do, right?"

He didn't seem to hear her. "I never knew she was alive… all this time…"

"Raines!" she snapped, finally getting his attention. His expression reverted back to nothing apart from cold professionalism.

"To stop Cocoon from falling," he murmured quietly, "Requires a sacrifice. Life energy is the only thing that will prevent this disaster. I couldn't let you give up your life, Claire. Not when you have a right to live."

"Don't give me that crap," she stated tiredly. "I don't know how, but if you're alive, then that means you have a right to live too."

His face hardened. "I refuse to allow you to die," he said, taking a step towards her.

"That isn't your decision to make!" Lightning was backing away now, until her back met the wall of an old building. She felt true fear, now- fear of what he intended to do. She didn't want him to die, she now realized. She didn't want to lose Raines yet again.

A resounding boom echoed through the place, making them both pause for a moment. She felt the ground shudder, and realized that they had been right. Lenora and Fang had both been correct. Thinking about the consequences- thousands of lives being snuffed out at once- she realized just how big this was. Just how dangerous the situation could be.

Raines' hand glowed again, and before she knew it, she was surrounded by a barrier of some kind- the same which had trapped them in their fight in the Fifth Ark. He stood on the outside, staring at her almost sadly, before turning away.

"No!" she shouted, throwing herself at it, only to be thrown backwards. She hit it with her gunblade, striking it again and again, to no avail. Lightning slid down to her knees, watching helplessly as he strode away to the center of the intersection. The ground moved again, and began trembling continuously.

"Raines!" she shouted; he didn't hear her. He was standing still, once again looking like he was waiting. He was preparing, she realized- preparing to give himself up.

The minutes seemed to drag by, and almost turn into hours while the two of them stood. Lightning could hear a distant roaring sound, and watched as Raines' well-built form began to emit a blue light.

Lightning had never felt more lost- more incapable of doing anything. Even when she had watched Serah turned to crystal, or when she had supposedly become a Cie'th, leaving Fang and Vanille alone, didn't top this. She felt a dull ache in her chest that her nothing to do with her brand.

"You still owe me my heart," she whispered. The realization hit her hard and fast. She could not abandon him to his fate. She couldn't afford to. People didn't give up on what they cherished.

Whether she was Lightning or Claire Farron, l'Cie or human- those didn't matter.

_I love you. _

A tiny spark of energy appeared in her hand.

"And I'll be _damned…"_ she whispered, raising up her hand, and feeling her power channeling into it, _"Before I let you go through this alone!" _

The barrier shattered.

And she was up and running towards him, sprinting as fast as she could, feeling Cocoon give another huge shudder. Reaching out as they were both thrown off by the gravity shifting, her fingertips brushed his.

And she suddenly felt cold.

Everything went black.

* * *

Serah only watched, horrified, as the Cie'th seemed to vanish around them; however, something far worse was occurring.

Above them, Cocoon was teetering, like it was waiting for just the right moment to crash to the ground. There hadn't been enough time- there were still many inside the city, and no one knew where Dajh was. She gripped Snow's hand tightly, watching while one of the enormous crystals on the structure shattered.

"That…" she glanced at Hope, who had spoken. He swallowed thickly. "That's our home…"

And with that, Cocoon began to fall to earth, the shattering noise of the crystal pillar nearly deafening the lot of them. Serah let out a broken sob, burying her face in Snow's coat.

Lightning was still in there.

Gasps rang out around her, prompting her to look back up at the structure. Her eyes widened.

A blinding light was encasing everything- the crystal pillar, and Cocoon itself- and freezing everything in place with a new layer of crystal. She heard Vanille cheer, and realized what was happening.

Something was causing Cocoon to stop falling. The sounds of destruction abruptly stopped, and they found themselves staring at a new crystal structure that was just as beautiful as the last.

"Wow…" whispered Vanille, stepping forward. "Do you think that that was Light?"

"Knowing her, it probably was," commented Sazh thoughtfully. "That might've been her Focus, even."

Hope frowned. "Yeah, but what happens when _she_ comes out of crystal stasis?"

"Good point," said Snow, frowning. "I guess we ought to get everyone out of here while we still can. Light bought us some time, but we don't know for how long."

Serah stared up at it in wonder, before turning around and heading back into the city with the others. Her fiancé was right; who knew how long they had?

It was then that she realized it was getting lighter out, and that the storm had ceased at last.

* * *

Fang watched while both Lenora and Spencer became encased in crystal, Lenora's wound closing up due to the process. She shrugged; now she was alone, with virtually no way to get back to New Bodhum, where the others were.

"I guess Raines did it," she murmured to herself. "I hope Sunshine didn't take it too hard."

Before her, the sun began to peek over the horizon. She decided to sit and wait until Lenora and Spencer came out of crystal stasis.

It wasn't like she had anything else to do.

* * *

"Yay! Good job!"

"Would you shut up already?" snarled Lenora, crossing her arms. "You're even more fucking irritating than this guy." Here she jerked her head towards Phoenix, who only smirked.

Lightning rolled her eyes. She could agree that Eden was being extremely childish, though.

Said fal'Cie pouted. "But you guys did it…" she whined. "So good job!"

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, in which the three fal'Cie avoided making eye contact with their l'Cie. Spencer yawned noncommittally, and Raines frowned deeply.

"It's a little strange, though," said Eden, cocking her head to the side. Lenora shot her a look that said, 'You're still talking?' "Doing good gives me this happy feeling inside. There's something very satisfying about it. I'm not sure what."

Lightning snorted, looking away. She was quickly becoming exasperated by Eden constantly chattering about their success. What a strange fal'Cie.

"I dunno," muttered Carbuncle. "The shorty and the tall woman didn't do much."

"Ya wanna say that to my face, you old bitch!" screeched Lenora indignantly. "What do you call getting stabbed repeatedly in the stomach?"

"Getting stabbed repeatedly in the stomach?" suggested Phoenix.

While Spencer held Lenora back from trying to kill the weather fal'Cie, Lightning crossed both of her arms. She wasn't really sure where they were; all she knew was that it was dark, but not enough that they couldn't see one another. She had awoken here after blacking out, along with Lenora, Cid, and Spencer, to discover that their Focus had been fulfilled. She was avoiding eye contact with Raines for the moment; she wasn't sure if he knew that she had sacrificed herself along with him.

"Okay," said Eden loudly, her voice taking on a frosty quality that caused Lenora to actually calm down. "So, here's what going on. Lenora Raines gets to live- meaning your wound will be healed when you wake up. Spencer… you'll just wake up. Bye-bye now!"

Lenora opened her mouth to protest, but she and Spencer quickly vanished. Eden turned to Lightning and Raines, looking thoughtful.

"Originally, I was going to have whoever ended up saving Cocoon die, but since you both took that burden"-

"What?" asked Cid, appearing calm, but his stormy eyes said otherwise.

"Oh- didn't you know? Lightning helped you at the last second."

She still didn't meet his gaze.

"Anyway, since you both helped, you both get to live! But… you'll be asleep for about three days or so- enough time for your friends to evacuate New Bodhum. Oh, and you both might lose something. Your l'Cie powers, for one, but that's a given. Lightning: you lose your parents. They were both with you, watching over you, but they have to move on now. Cid, you're losing your friendship with Rygdea. It'll be like he never knew you."

Lightning took in this news, finally digesting the fact that they had done it. They had saved the world- again. Hooray for clichés. As for her parents, she realized that Eden had a valid point. She turned to Cid, noticing the look of acceptance that crossed his face and the way his head was bowed.

"I want to thank you," said Eden seriously. Lightning couldn't help but feel surprised as the little girl continued.

"You showed us what it is to be a good person, and not just be passive while death happens all around you. Thank you for that. It's time we left."

When she and Raines didn't answer, Eden continued.

"Humans are their own beings now," she said, more quietly. "The world has no need for us fal'Cie any longer. I can see that now, I think."

"We'll give you two a moment to reconcile," said Carbuncle.

"But then it's naptime," said Phoenix, sniggering. "For three whole days."

"Again…" Eden sounded odd, being solemn. "Thank you. Oh, and you'll have ten minutes once you wake up. Fare well."

The three fal'Cie vanished, leaving Lightning and Raines alone.

It was a long time before either one of them spoke. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, despite the fact that he was studying her intently.

"Why did you do it?" he asked quietly. Lightning shook slightly.

"I had to."

"You didn't. You know that."

"I…"

"Claire- look at me. Please."

Slowly, as though afraid of what she might see, Lightning raised her head and eyes to meet his gray orbs. He took a tentative step forward, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"You cut your hair?" he asked.

"No duh."

The corners of his mouth quirked upward at that. She couldn't seem to look away, now that she had made eye contact with him. Could she explain to him why she had been so intent on not letting him save Cocoon by himself? She didn't think so; she felt as if telling him the reason might break her for good.

"Practical purposes I suppose," he mused.

She nodded.

Another long silence followed, in which neither of them seemed sure of what to do. Lightning reached up to grasp her pendant, feeling comforted by its presence.

Raines had taken off his glove, and gently took her hand in his.

Lightning's eyes widened in shock.

The contact between them seemed to have opened their minds to each other. Thoughts, emotions, and memories were exchanged between the two. They fully realized their own feelings, and shared the pain that had built up inside them over the past two years. Lightning realized that pain shared was not nearly as bad as pain that was allowed to fester on its own. It had hurt him too, to ask her to kill him. He had felt real fear when he killed her, being only ninety percent sure that Odin would be able to revive her. She reassured him silently.

It was almost as if, for a split second, they were one being. Lightning felt a thrill run through her.

Then the moment passed, and they were simply holding hands.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, when they came back to their senses. "I put you through that… I should never have asked you to..."

Lightning's skin tingled, and she realized that a single tear was escaping from her eye. She never knew, but he had been just as broken as she was. Knowing that eased some of her own sadness and guilt, and she felt somewhat whole again.

He closed the distance between them, capturing her mouth in a gentle kiss. His arms encircled her, and she felt herself almost become lightheaded as their lips moved in sync with one another. They broke apart (too soon, in her opinion, but they would have time later), and he simply held her. She closed her eyes, letting loose a shuddering breath.

They remained that way for a long time.

* * *

Vanille skipped along, with Hope calling for her to wait up.

The evacuation process was becoming a bit more controlled, thanks to PSICOM and the Guardian Corps assisting them with it. Citizens filed out of the city, bringing only necessities with them on their exodus. She was glad to see that everything was calming down a bit.

She paused at a corner, with Hope finally catching up to her.

"Where do you get all that energy?" he asked, panting. She beamed at him, giving him a quick hug and making him blush.

"I'm just hyper, that's all!" she exclaimed, now humming to herself. They simply stood there, watching while the sun climbed higher into the sky, not really paying any attention to their surroundings.

Then a roar rang out.

The noise nearly sent everyone into a panic again, but Vanille herself remained calm, catching sight of a flying serpent heading their way, three people sitting atop it.

"OI!" shouted Fang from above, waving down at the two of them. Beside her, Hope grinned and waved furiously. Behind Fang sat Lenora and Spencer, who had matching triumphant grins on their faces.

"Hey!" called Vanille, waving as the three slid off of Leviathan, landing on the cobblestones. The Eidolon itself vanished, and Fang hurried over to embrace Vanille.

"How come you were able to use your Eidolon to come back?" asked Hope. Vanille started at the insinuation he made; were they still l'Cie?

"No, we aren't," growled Lenora, answering the unasked questioned. "He was there when we woke up."

"Woke up right quick, they did," said Fang, patting Lenora on the shoulder. "Thankfully, Lenora's wound was healed. Apparently that was thanks to Eden."

"Say that all you want," muttered Lenora. "I ain't never giving her credit."

Vanille blinked, perplexed. "Eden?"

"How about we all get out of here?" suggested Spencer. "Then we can tell you all about it."

* * *

Three days later arrived, and found all of the evacuated citizens camping atop a wide cliff, with New Bodhum and the crystallized Cocoon in the distance. Snow was seated in between Sazh and Serah, with mixed feelings on the subject.

On one hand, they'd gotten everyone out. After sweeping the city again and again, they had made certain that no one remained.

On the other hand, they never found Dajh.

Sazh was staring blankly down at his meal, which Serah had prepared to the best of her ability. Most people were considering taking up residence in the ruins of already existing cities. They just needed to have Cie'th cleaned out, and they'd be good to go. One group was already preparing to head off to Paddra, in the Yaschas Massif, while Snow and the rest of his group were planning on setting out for Oerba the next day. Lenora, Spencer, and Fang had disappeared off to who-knew-where again.

Several people nearby cried out, and his head jerked upward to see that the crystal pillar's vibrancy was fading, and it looking as though Cocoon shaking again. A distant rumbling could be heard, and many stood, as thought saluting the sight.

Silence fell over the mass of people, who only watched as the sphere finally plummeted towards the earth, crashing to the ground and throwing up an enormous dust cloud. A sound similar to the shattering of a thousand windows could be heard, and he heard Serah whisper her sister's name.

Something was flying towards them, and he squinted, just able to see what looked like an old ship heading in their direction. Most people began to speak again, speculating over what it could be, but he had a feeling he already knew.

The airship landed of a ways from the camp, but Serah ran towards it as quickly as possible, followed by the rest of them. Snow caught sight of Fang, Lenora, Spencer, and Lightning, but skidded to a halt as a fifth person came into view.

Cid Raines was stumbling along, being supported by Fang, while Lenora held up Lightning. The two soldiers looked about ready to faint, but Spencer looked calm. Snow hurried over, looking at Fang.

"Need a hand?" he asked, offering his trademark grin.

"Nah," said Fang, returning it. "Help Lenora out; Sunshine's injured pretty badly."

"Got it." He took Lightning's other arm, noting that she winced as he did so. He wondered what could cause her to react in this way, but then noticed the blood staining her vest.

"Claire!" came a cry, as Serah hurried over, looking panicked. "What happened? Are you alright?" His fiancée caught sight of Lightning's side, and her hands came up to her mouth in horror. His pride for her grew when she quickly brushed it off, straightening up and taking charge.

"Bring her this way; we've got bandages at the tent. Isn't that Cid Raines? I thought… I thought he was dead."

Cid gave a weak chuckle. "I will explain later- to the best of my ability."

Serah seemed to accept this, but Snow saw her frown after Raines as Fang helped him in the direction of the tent. He realized that the former general did indeed have a lot of explaining to do, but that could wait. At that moment, both him and Lightning were injured and exhausted.

He heard Hope muttering angrily to himself as he, Lenora, and Lightning made their way past him. Vanille said something to him, which seemed to calm him down a bit, but he still seemed to be slightly disgruntled. He shrugged, shifting his position in an attempt to make his sister more comfortable.

They soon had the two lain out on their extra sleeping bags; both fell unconscious after this. Serah was boiling water and grabbing several disinfectant sprays that she'd salvaged, as well as a few potions. Lenora stormed away, a dark scowl on her face.

He winced when Serah peeled back the fabric on Lightning's abdomen, revealing a deep cut that still oozed some blood. She instantly began dabbing it carefully, cleaning the wound and preparing to dress it. Snow himself was content to just watch Serah help her patients, her beautiful face set with determination despite the grotesqueness of the injuries.

* * *

The older Pulsian found the younger Raines sitting at the cliff's edge, staring out into space. She noted how Lenora's brow was furrowed, as though she was thinking hard about something. Huh; that was certainly something new when it came to Lenora. She allowed herself a few moments to compose herself before approaching the tall woman.

"Something on your mind?"

Lenora jerked, obviously not expecting company. She didn't turn her head to look back at Fang, but continued to regard the setting sun in front of her. Fang noticed that the rays were falling over the pile of rubble that had been Cocoon.

"I think Light's forgiven him," continued Fang thoughtfully, almost as if musing to herself, but she kept one eye out for Lenora's reaction. "Isn't it about time you did too? You are family, after all; family sticks together."

"Actually I was thinking about killing the bastard," muttered Lenora. "He deserves it."

Fang sighed loudly, sitting down next to Lenora. She couldn't help but like the bad-tempered young woman, and felt it was only right that she try to repair the broken relationship between brother and sister. "Yeah? Just like Snow deserved to die for causing Hope's mother to get killed during the Purge?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I thought you said Hope forgave him."

"Yeah. He did, after he learned that revenge never gets you anywhere." When Lenora didn't say anything, Fang took it as a cue to continue. "All I'm saying is this: talk to him. You might be surprised."

Again, Lenora said nothing. Fang clapped her on the shoulder.

"One more thing," she added. "I don't think Light'd be too thrilled if you killed him, eh?"

Fang stood, and left to rejoin the others, leaving Lenora to her thoughts.

* * *

Lightning was dimly aware of only a few things: one was that she felt relaxed- more relaxed than she had felt in a very long time. The second was that there were murmurings all around her, and the voices had different pitches. The third was a dull pain in her side.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, noting how blurry her vision was. Everything soon came into focus, and she found herself staring at a tent canopy. Lightning sat up, ignoring the way her side ached as she forced herself to take in her surroundings.

The tent flap was open; sunshine was peeking inside, but most of the interior was still dark. Someone had taken her jacket, leaving her only with her turtleneck, shorts, and a heavily bandaged side. She deduced that someone had healed her while she was unconscious.

Lightning looked to her side and blinked.

In another sleeping bag lay Raines. For a fleeting moment she panicked as she thought he was dead- but then she caught sight of the steady rise and fall of his chest. Sleeping, apparently. She wondered if she had injured him, and found that she couldn't remember.

Outside, she could hear the voices more clearly now, speaking in hushed tones. She could make out Fang's distinct accent as well as Vanille's, and thought she heard Snow say something.

"Maybe I should check on them," came Serah's worried voice. "They still haven't woken up yet."

"Give them some time." That was Spencer, the voice of reason. "They were completely exhausted when they got here; I would want to sleep some more if I were them. What they did was no easy task."

"You're telling us!" Fang. "Me and Vanille did the same thing, and you didn't see us stumbling around like a bunch of idiots."

Lightning jumped when Cid's low voice came from beside her. "That's not what _I _remember." She glanced at him, seeing him looking amused.

As though reading his mind, Hope spoke up. "Yeah, we didn't _see_ you collapsing from exhaustion; that doesn't mean you didn't."

Fang huffed.

"Well, I felt pretty tired when I woke up!" said Vanille cheerfully.

"Oi! Why're you taking their side, Vanille? Feel like you've gotta stick up for your boyfriend now?"

At this comment, Lightning's eyebrows both shot up in surprise. Hope gave a suspiciously loud cough, while Vanille giggled nervously.

"Oh come on Fang," protested Serah; Lightning could easily picture the smile on her face. "I think it's adorable."

"I swear, if he lays one finger on her…"

"Suck it up, Yun!"

There was Lenora. Lightning noticed Cid looked hesitant, almost like he wanted to go greet his sister, but at the same time fully aware of his rocky relationship with her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant. He saw through the deception; based on their strange mind meld earlier, he knew that she was worried for him.

"Fine," he responded. "Just sore."

She snorted. "You think you're sore?" she asked, gesturing at her bandaged side.

"My apologies for that," he said, suddenly sounding stiff.

"No need to be formal, sir," she replied, throwing a mock salute and hastily trying to keep him from closing up. He smirked.

"Well now, look who's up and at 'em," said Sazh, peering inside the tent. He was promptly shoved aside by Serah, who looked both relieved and furious at the same time.

"That does it!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Lightning. "You are not going anywhere again unless you let me know! And _you!"_ Here she rounded on Cid, who looked unfazed by her rant. "You be nice to my sister, or… or else!" she finished rather lamely.

"I can promise you that I will do what I can for her," stated Cid calmly and firmly. Serah looked slightly taken aback, but she spoke more slowly next.

"Your wounds aren't as bad as Light's," she said, "So you can probably get up. I think you need to talk to someone, anyway."

"Nah, I'll talk to the douche in there," grumbled Lenora. "I want Miss Sunshine to be in on it."

"See, Light?" called Fang. "Someone else does like the name!"

"Auntie Lightning!" came a distant, squeaky yell, and Dajh came hurrying into the tent, looking at her excitedly. Serah and Sazh's jaws dropped, while Lightning only blinked.

"Hello, Dajh," she said, giving him a quick hug. He grinned at her before noticing Cid.

"Hey, Aunt Light?" he stage-whispered. "Is he gonna be my uncle? 'Cause Aunt Fang was telling me that, and"-

"Dajh, I think it's time you had breakfast," called Sazh loudly. He beamed, though he still looked confused.

"These nice people took care of me," explained Dajh happily. "And then Hope's daddy found me!"

Lightning hid just how relieved she was, ruffling the kid's hair before he scurried off to have breakfast.

Serah allowed Lenora to enter, before exiting herself and joining the others near what Lightning concluded was a campfire. She could tell that there were other citizens all milling around, preparing to journey away and establish new cities around Pulse.

Lenora plopped down cross-legged in front of them, at first avoiding any eye contact. Lightning started when her head snapped up, looking straight at her brother.

"First off," she stated loudly. "No making out in front of me. I might have to puke all over you."

Lightning would have laughed, had the situation not seemed so serious.

"Second," she said. "You hurt Light or Spencer ever again, and I will kill you. Want to see my weapon?"

Cid only raised an eyebrow.

Lenora pressed the button on her ring, savoring the look of surprise that crossed Raines' face as her TALON revealed itself.

"Thirdly," and this time her voice became much softer. "You're still an asshole, but… you are my bro. Consider yourself forgiven for that shit you pulled years ago."

Abruptly, Lenora stood and left the tent. Lightning blinked; she had been expecting a long, deep conversation between the two- maybe a tearful reunion. She should have known better when it came to the younger Raines.

She was the first to break the silence.

"What now?" she asked. Scooting over slightly, she allowed herself to lean against him, staring out at the people preparing to rebuild their lives.

He gave a deep chuckle, the one that made heart flutter just a tad (though she would never admit it). "We move on," he murmured.

* * *

Author's note: WHOO! Finally! This chapter took freakin' forever! I feel like I was able to capture the emotion that everyone felt, but feedback would still be appreciated. As to how Cid is alive, it'll be explained next chapter, which is the epilogue.

Heh heh… did the "death" scene make your hearts stop? I bet you were all screaming in your minds "NO! LIGHTNING! I'M GONNA KILL YOU CID!" (Please don't murder me for putting that scene in there.) Originally I was going to have Lightning end up chopping her own arm off (which I won't explain), but I thought that that was a little weird. Please review!


	6. Chapter 6: Epilogue

_"Death to those goddamn fal'Cie,_

_ And the world will turn into hell,_

_ So they summon l'Cie, to kill the enemy,_

_ And because of that Cocoon fell."_

"Yeeaah!" slurred Lenora, clinking her glass of champagne against Fang's. "Like we give a fuck anyway."

"Haaahaaa!" laughed Fang, clutching her side. "That was… awesome…"

Everyone just stared at the two of them for a few moments, before going back to what they were doing and ignoring them pointedly. Lightning sighed in exasperation, noting that Spencer was keeping a careful eye on them. He had allowed Lenora to be unleashed upon the alcohol, given that it was a special occasion and all.

Lightning had felt a swell of pride as she had seen her sister approaching, wearing a simple white dress that Vanille had helped her choose. Fang had not been allowed to go on that particular venture, as Vanille claimed that she had no fashion sense at all. Lightning herself was forced into a dress of her own- a blue one that hugged her curves nicely. She couldn't say that she was completely against wearing it after trying it on.

Serah and Snow had exchanged vows at last; Serah's name was now Serah Villiers. Lightning had joked about it with her brother-in-law, stating that she thought that Serah should keep her name before explaining that she was kidding when Snow looked ready to cry.

Currently, they were at the reception- a small party, nothing too big. Team Nora was present, along with the six former l'Cie, Lenora, Spencer, and Cid Raines, whom Serah had dubbed, "Lightning's boyfriend". Lenora simply called him 'asshole'.

Hence the reason why Lenora and Fang were propped up against a tree, giggling insanely. The party was being held on the shores of the lake where Oerba was situated. Rebuilding had commenced with burgeoned enthusiasm, and the city was quickly wrapping its way around the lake. Many newcomers, unsettled by the fact that the only thing that the landscape offered was desolation and crystal dust, had begun planting- an operation that Vanille was participating in vigorously. As though sensing the return of living beings, grass began to peak up out of the layer of fine powder.

"I knew I should've put Dajh to bed," groaned Sazh, when Lenora began singing another verse of her rendition of, 'Glory to the fal'Cie'. The boy seemed to be oblivious to her though, and had not repeated a single word that came out of the younger Raines' foul mouth. Lightning speculated that Dajh was intelligent enough to know that Lenora wasn't someone he would want to emulate.

She folded her arms and relaxed slightly in her chair, while beside her Serah beamed. Her sister was practically glowing with joy, and her husband was no different. He couldn't seem to stop smiling (not that that was anything new), and was often teasing Hope about his relationship with Vanille.

Lightning could hardly believe that it had almost been two months.

Two months since Cocoon crushed New Bodhum. Already, the people of Cocoon were faring better than they had in that city. From what she heard, Paddra was doing well. Most of the citizens elected to keep its original name out of respect rather than change it to something else. It was the same with Oerba; while some had considered renaming it, many recognized it as Fang and Vanille's old home, and didn't want to insult the two.

Oerba was one of the smaller new residences. Many who formerly lived in Bodhum had traveled here, with a sizeable amount of members of the Guardian Corps that carefully guarded the group that migrated there. Lightning hadn't been promoted again; even though Amodar had wanted to, she had been adamant in staying in her position as Colonel. They mostly stayed in contact with the military in the other cities; she was told that one of them was in the process of constructing new airships.

Raines had taken the helm of the Guardian Corps, despite the shock of many in the Cavalry. True to what Eden said, Rygdea no longer thought of Cid as an old friend; instead, he only saw him as a superior who had never been close to anyone. There were suspicions and rumors flying around about how he was alive, but people were gradually beginning to trust him again, which was something that Lightning was relieved to see.

As for what the fal'Cie had meant by the loss of her parents… it was true that Lightning felt a bit hollow when she came out of her crystal stasis, but that could have been anything. She had moved on from the deaths of her parents long ago, so it didn't really affect her.

Raines later explained that Eden revived him shortly before Lightning, Lenora, and Spencer became l'Cie. He stated that it was something about Eden doing a favor for the goddess, Etro. Vanille had pondered that, stating that all she knew was that Etro was the being responsible for the dead. He had also revealed that it had been Eden, not him, who was responsible for the attacks by the monsters and Cie'th. Lightning hadn't realized just how much the fal'Cie had done.

She was interrupted in her musings by a light tap on the shoulder. Twisting in her seat, she met Raines' eyes.

"Care to dance?" he asked smoothly.

She raised an eyebrow at the unusual request. "There's no music."

He turned to stare pointedly at Lenora and Fang, still singing raucously.

"That's not"- she began, only to be cut off.

"I was merely making a joke," said Raines lightly, smirking. His tone turned wry. "It _is _possible, believe it or not."

"Oh my god!" shrieked Fang, now severely drunk. "Raines made a joke! Watch out, he's going to turn into Ragnarok!"

"Nah, you're dreamin'- hic- that's not possible…" said Lenora, looking a bit cross-eyed.

Lightning snorted, amused by the antics of the two. Raines tilted his head to a space a bit further towards the waterfront. "Shall we?"

"Why not?" she replied, shrugging.

Lightning was grateful that Serah allowed her to wear her flats instead of heels; she could wield a gunblade and snap a man's neck, but she couldn't walk in those damned things. The two of them slow danced in silence for several minutes, not really choosing to say anything to one another. She found that they preferred silent companionship over being conversational. Perhaps it was because both of them enjoyed the quiet, or perhaps it was because neither of them felt the need to speak. She could spend her time getting lost in the gray depths of his eyes instead.

The moon was shining brightly above them, something which Raines was new to, though the rest of them had had time to get used to it. He had been forced to wait until the day Cocoon collapsed in Eden, and as such had received a slight shock upon viewing the moon for the first time one night later.

Voices behind them became raised, and Lightning glanced over her shoulder to see most of the guests cheering while Serah and Snow performed a much more lively dance for the rest. She smiled slightly at the sight of seeing her sister so at ease, and made eye contact with her. Both sisters communicated silently for a moment before their respective partners moved them away.

"You're happy for her?"

"Of course I am. Snow will keep her safe. I trust him to do that much, idiot though he is."

More shouts from behind her; Team Nora was currently pressuring Hope to ask Vanille to dance. The redhead, however, beat him to it, dragging him out into the space that had been created and whirling him around. Lightning stifled a laugh at the sight.

"Perhaps we should rejoin them?" suggested Cid.

Lightning pretended to think about it for a moment, then said, "Nah."

A few minutes later, Fang passed out, leaving the task of carrying her back to the apartment complex they all stayed at to Rygdea. He had not, at least, forgotten his friendship with the former l'Cie; if anything, he and Fang seemed to be developing a thing for one another. Lightning wasn't entirely sure if that was what it was, though Serah claimed that they were flirting whenever they spoke to one another.

Lenora managed to stay conscious for far longer than Fang. Just before passing out, she did something that caused many to gape- Lightning and Cid included.

"Speeeenceeerrr," she slurred loudly, causing many to look in her direction. "I luvs you…"

Simultaneously, everyone turned to stare in Spencer's direction, awaiting his response. Lenora promptly collapsed.

He only sighed. "She's going to kill me tomorrow," he stated aloud, before helping her home. Lebreau decided to assist him in carrying her, saying something that Lightning couldn't make out, but that made most of the guests laugh.

Cid chuckled.

Lightning arched an eyebrow at him.

"I'll tell you later."

* * *

_I guess… things have gotten better now. We're all doing much better. It's safe to say that everyone's finally happy._

_ There are a lot of things I'm grateful for. I guess, if I had to pick… I would say it's that you made the nightmares go away. I can finally sleep peacefully. That doesn't even come close to getting through the list of what you've done for me. _

_ Still, even if it was just for that… I could never thank you enough._

* * *

Author's note: Well... that's it. It's over. I actually finished!

I want to thank all of my incredible reviewers, who were my inspiration for keeping this story going. No, there will not be a sequel. I think I resolved mostly everything in this. However, there is something I'd like to ask. I'm considering writing another Final Fantasy XIII fanfic, but I can't seem to decide what to write. I have two choices, and I would be ecstatic if people could let me know what they want in their reviews.

1. Title: Charade. While in the Fifth Ark, the others are forced to leave Lightning behind, stranding her in Eden. In order to survive, she takes up another new name and disguise. However, things become complicated when she is picked to become the heiress of a prominent weapons manufacturing company, throwing her into the intrigue of Eden high society. Still Cid/Light, tries to show what I think Sanctum politics would have been like.

2. Title: The Tenth Pirate Lord. A Pirates of the Caribbean/Final Fantasy XIII crossover. Follows Curse of the Black Pearl. Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal with an unusual companion: Fang Yun, a woman with attitude and an unknown past. Meanwhile, Lightning Farron, captain of the _Pulse l'Cie_, is pulled into the mess when Barbossa takes her sister, Serah, hostage. Possibly a Fang/Jack pairing, just because I think that would be hilarious.

I don't know which one to pick... a little help, please? If I don't get any feedback, I won't write either one!

Again, thanks for everyone's support with They Walk Alone. See y'all later!


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